Little Moments
by coriswriting
Summary: A series of moments in the life of grownup, married Finn and Rachel and their young children.
1. Chapter 1

"**Shopping"**

"Let's go, Chris!" Rachel called to her son, who was upstairs, supposedly getting dressed.

"I'm coming, Mommy!" yelled the four-year-old, bounding down the steps. Rachel looked up from her grocery list to see her son standing proudly in front of her in his Batman costume.

"Look Mommy, I put my cape on all by myself! Can I wear this to the grocery store?" Chris asked, his brown eyes hopeful.

"Of course you can, baby," she answered, "I'm sure that everyone at the store will feel safe knowing that Batman is around! Go get daddy, okay?"

"Coming, babe!" yelled Finn from the next room. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of his costume-clad preschooler.

"Uh, you wearing that to go shopping, buddy?" he asked.

"Sure, why not?" said Rachel. "He's got a great sense of theatricality," she giggled.

"Yes he does," Finn laughed, "another trait he inherited from his beautiful mommy," he said, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"Oh, I wouldn't say he only gets it from me, honey. KISS makeup? Red rubber Gaga dress? Ring any bells?" teased Rachel sweetly.

Finn's grinned broadly, remembering their Glee Club days back at McKinley. "Do you ever forget anything, baby?" he asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Nope!" she laughed. "C'mon you two, Mommy's got rehearsal at 4. We'd better get to the store now if we're going to have time for the playground."

Finn and Rachel walked out of their apartment building, smiling, Chris between them holding both of their hands.

"Let's do one-two-three-wheeee, Mommy and Daddy!" shouted Chris excitedly.

"Okay, just one time, sweetie," said Rachel, "Daddy's sore from his training." Finn had been helping the police cadets prepare for their physical fitness exam, and he felt like he could barely move.

"Oh, Mommy, you're so silly. Daddy is a big strong police officer. He stops bad guys all day! giggled Chris.

"That's right, kiddo!" laughed Finn. "Let's show Mommy what we do with the bad guys!" said Finn. He picked up his tiny wife and put her over his shoulder, still walking hand-in-hand with Chris.

"FINN! FINN, put me down! STOP IT!" Rachel protested. Chris clapped his hands and cheered, "Yay, Daddy! Spin Mommy around really fast!"

"CHRIS, tell Daddy to put Mommy down!" she shouted, "FINN, oh my gosh, you are SO embarassing!" she exclaimed, her face flushed with red. She couldn't contain her smile, though, as her handsome husband placed her gently back on the ground, keeping his hand on the small of her back.

"Sorry, babe," he said with his irresistable grin.

"Mommy, you're not mad, are you?" asked Chris.

"Of course not, Batman," she said. "Your daddy is a big sillyhead, but I love him anyway," she smiled, giving her husband a playful punch in the arm. "In fact, I love him _because_ he's a big sillyhead. He always makes me smile, no matter what," she said, nuzzling her nose into Finn's arm.

"Daddy makes me smile too, Mommy. Like this morning, when he let me have THREE DONUTS for breakfast!"

Finn looked at his wife, shrugging with embarassment. "Busted," he whispered.

Rachel laughed as she grabbed her husband's hand. "Yes you are," she said, "Its tofu and sprouts for everybody tonight."

Okaaaaaay," Finn and Chris groaned.

Hey, let's race, guys!" yelled Chris.

Finn and Rachel smiled at each other and chased down their son, and the three of them raced into the grocery store, giggling all the way.


	2. Chapter 2

"**Leotards"**

"Hey babe," Finn said, walking into the bedroom. His wife was sitting cross-legged, intently sewing something. He flopped on the bed beside her.

"Hi baby," she said, "I'll kiss you in one second, let me just finish this last stitch...okay, there!" Rachel put down what she was working on and snuggled up to Finn. She kissed him softly on the lips.

"Mmmmm," he mumbled.

"My poor Finny," she said, stroking his temple. "Long night?"

"Yeah," he replied, "Lots of crazy calls tonight. Must be a full moon or something," he said, pulling her into his chest.

"Well, I'm glad I have one of New York's Finest here to protect me from the nutjobs," she giggled, playing with his hair.

"What are you sewing?" he asked. "Something for Chris for school?"

"Oh, no babe," she replied, "I'm just fixing some of my leotards. Some of these are getting pretty worn out."

"Why don't you just go buy some new ones?" he yawned.

"Can't. Preschool tuition is due this week," she said, kissing his cheek, "maybe next month."

Getting up, she gently pulled off her husband's shoes he'd been too tired to remove. "Get some sleep, honey, before you have to pick Chris up at noon. I've got rehearsal in an hour, I'll make you something to eat and leave it in the fridge. When I get home, we'll have pizza night. I started some dough, I figured it's cheaper than ordering out," she said, covering Finn with a blanket.

"You're so good to me, angel," he whispered, pulling her face to his. "I love you so much. One day things won't be so hard, I promise," he said. Rachel had been able to consistently land roles in many off-Broadway productions, but she was still working toward her big break. Finn made a decent living as a police officer, but overtime had been hard to come by lately. Finn knew they were doing the best they could, especially living in a city as expensive as New York, but he just wanted to give Rachel and Chris everything they deserved. He knew that money wasn't what made them happy, but it just broke his heart seeing his hard-working wife having to mend her old clothes.

Rachel laughed. "Finn, things aren't hard at all. So what if we don't have the money to buy new things all the time. We've got each other, we have a beautiful son, and we're both doing what we love. I always knew that I wanted to try to become a Broadway star—did you think I thought it would be easy? I was prepared for years of Ramen noodles and waitressing jobs just so I could get by and keep chasing my dream. Things have worked out so much better than I ever could have expected, and I could not be happier, even if we had a penthouse on 5th Avenue. Okay?" she asked, searching his eyes for acceptance.

"Okay," he smiled, kissing her one last time before closing his eyes. He felt the warmth of Rachel's words as he drifted off to sleep.

When Finn woke, he went to the kitchen to have something to eat. His body always felt so confused when he worked nights. He never knew if he should be eating breakfast or dinner or what when he got home. It _was _morning, but he had just gotten home from work, and people eat dinner when they get home for the day. He opened the refrigerator to find a plate of food wrapped in cellophane with a sticky note on it. The note read, "Babe—I know you never know what meal you should eat when you get home, so I made you a Western omelet—it's kind of a combination of breakfast and dinner. Brinner? Hope you like it. Love, Rach."

Finn laughed to himself. She was just so awesome. He had to come up with some way to get her some new leotards. He just wanted to do _something_ to make her feel special, like she always made him feel. He tried to think of ways to make extra money as he ate his omelet and headed out the door to pick up Chris.

"Daddy!" shouted the four-year-old excitedly. He came running at Finn and leaped into his arms at full force. "Whoa, easy, buddy!" Finn chuckled. His son was the spitting image of him, and he had the same amount of restless energy Finn had as a boy.

"Hi, Mr. Hudson," Chris's teacher began, "Chris had a bit of trouble sitting still during circle time, but he had a good day," she finished.

"Okay, Mrs. Daley," said Finn. "We'll work on that. See you Friday! Chris, say goodbye."

"Byeeeeeeeeeeeee!" yelled Chris, taking Finn by the hand and pulling him toward the door.

"Okay, okay, dude, slow down!" Finn exclaimed. A bright yellow flier tacked to a bulletin board caught his eye as Chris dragged him down the hallway. "Hold on a second, Chris," he said, scooping his son up into his arms. The flier read "Help! Pet Sitter Needed! Any preschool parents interested in walking my golden retriever afternoons for next two weeks while I'm away on business? I live nearby. Will pay $200. Please call ASAP!"

Finn grinned. This was too perfect! He was working nights for the next two weeks, he and Chris could walk the dog after school! He could buy Rachel the leotards, and it would be something fun for he and Chris to do, too. Finn pulled out his cell phone and called the dog's owner, who was the mom of one of Chris's little buddies. She was more than happy to hire Finn and Chris for the job.

Finn was so happy. He tossed Chris up in the air and caught him.

"Again, Dad!" giggled Chris.

"Not now, buddy, we've got a stop to make. Let's go get a present for Mommy," said Finn.

Finn searched for stores on his Blackberry and found a dance boutique nearby. Carrying Chris on his shoulders, he headed into the store.

"DADDY," Chris whispered loudly upon entering, "DADDY. THIS IS A GIRL'S STORE."

Finn laughed, "I know, buddy. We're shopping for Mommy, remember?" Finn was certainly no expert on dancewear, but he told the sales clerk what he was looking for and she helped him find some nice leotards in Rachel's size. Thank goodness he had some assistance, he could just imagine poor Rachel showing up to rehearsal in something ridiculous that he picked out for her just so she wouldn't hurt his feelings. Chris and Finn raced all the way home so they would have enough time to wrap Rachel's present before she got back from the theater.

When Rachel got home, her two boys were sitting on the couch waiting for her with the box in between them. They had to wrap it in blue and white Hannukah paper because that's all they could find, but they thought it looked pretty good nonetheless.

"Hi, my two favorite guys!" exclaimed Rachel as she opened the door. "What do you have there? How long was I at rehearsal? Is it December already?" she joked.

"Just a little something to show you how much we appreciate you," Finn said.

"Yeah!" cried Chris, "It's a bunch of-"

Finn quickly clapped a hand over his excited son's mouth. "Shhh, buddy...it's a surprise, remember?"

Rachel's eyes lit up as she opened the leotards. "Oh my goodness, these are beautiful you guys...but," she said, a look of concern crossing her face, "we don't really have the money right now-"

"Not to worry, Rach," Finn began, "Chris and I have secured ourselves a little pet sitting gig for the next couple of weeks. It'll be a lot of fun, and we figured we'd make just enough to pay for a special gift for the most wonderful woman we know...and two double cheeseburgers and black-and-white shakes at Shake Shack for us," he winked.

"You guys are amazing," gushed Rachel. Giggling, she began to sing, "Oh my men I love them so..."

"Oh Mommy," Chris groaned. "No Barbra tonight, please."

Finn and Rachel looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Oh, Chris," laughed Finn, "the things you get away with."


	3. Chapter 3

"**Spiderman"**

"I did it, Mommy!" Chris shouted excitedly as he blew out all five glowing candles on his Spiderman birthday cake.

"Great job, baby!" Rachel beamed, snapping a photo. She could hardly believe her little boy was five years old today. Hadn't they just brought him home from the hospital? She remembered how tiny he had looked, nestled between her and Finn on their bed as the two of them gazed at their little miracle.

Suddenly, Rachel's reminiscing was interrupted by Chris's wild laughter.

"Mommy, the candles are coming back!" he squealed with excitement.

"Wait, what on earth?" she gasped as the candles began to reignite, one by one. She watched in amazement as Chris huffed and puffed to extinguish the flames, only to see them light right back up again. Then she noticed her sneaky husband standing behind her son, looking like a big kid himself as he tried to stifle an incriminating giggle.

"Finn! Trick candles, for a five-year-old? _Really?_" she laughed. Finn grinned broadly.

"Here, let me help you with those, buddy," he laughed. "Daddy played a little birthday trick on you!" he said, helping Chris blow the candles out for the last time.

"Daddy, that was so cool!" exclaimed Chris. "How did you DO that, Daddy?"

Finn and Rachel couldn't help but chuckle at Chris's undying admiration for his father. He had been Daddy's boy ever since that beautiful September day when he arrived. Rachel remembered it all so clearly. Through the years they had dated and the short time they were married before Chris came along, Rachel and Finn always seemed to take turns leaning on one another. When money was tight and the rent was due, Rachel was the level-headed one to keep Finn from becoming overwhelmed by financial stress. When Rachel would panic over auditions and callbacks, Finn would always be the one to keep her grounded. When Finn was anxious and confused about what career path he wanted to take, Rachel always calmed his nerves and reminded him of his strengths and talents.

When it came to the birth of their first child, Finn was the one providing the assurance that everything would be fine. When she was pregnant with Chris, Rachel would get nervous about everything from carseat safety to vaccinations. Finn was always there to hug her to his chest, stroke her hair, and bring her back to reality with sound reminders, such as, "We're not the first people to do this, Rach!" He always said that she had all the brains in their relationship, but in her mind, he was always the smart one.

When she saw her son for the very first time, when the nurses placed him on her chest and she saw his sweet face looking up at her, she knew Finn was right about everything. And later when she watched her husband cradling their baby boy in his arms, softly singing to him, she knew that there was nothing that they couldn't handle together. They were a family.

"What song are you singing?" she asked him. He smiled lovingly at her and sat down on her hospital bed with Chris asleep in his arms. He began singing a bit louder so that she could hear his words.

"_Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly, birds fly over the rainbow, why oh why can't I?_" he sang sweetly.

"Do you remember back in high school, when Mr. Schue sang that to all of us?" he asked, keeping his voice hushed so as not to wake their son.

Rachel nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

"I just remember holding your hand, and you putting your head on my shoulder," whispered Finn, "I remember that moment being so peaceful, and at the same time I was so excited about all of the possibilities, about our future. That's how I feel right now, I guess that's what reminded me of the song."

"I love you, Finn," said Rachel tearfully, "I will never forget the way I feel right now."

And she hadn't, she thought to herself as she watched her son glance up at her, his lopsided grin stained with blue icing. She kissed him on the top of his head.

"This is the best Spiderman party ever, Mom!" he said. "Can I open my presents now? Where's Daddy?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Oh, I think your dad might have one more surprise for you, sweetie," she grinned slyly. "Hey kids," she called out to their little partygoers, "I think SPIDERMAN is here!"

On cue, Finn flung open the door to their apartment and bounded in, in full Spiderman costume. Rachel burst into hysterical laughter at the sight of her 6'3 husband in head-to-toe red and blue spandex, but Chris and all eight of his buddies erupted with cheers and ran full-force at their hero, knocking him to the ground and climbing all over him.

"Hey! Hey, kids, careful! OUCH! Let Spiderman get up off the—hey, take it easy, guys! Spiderman's not wearing a cup!" Finn screeched.

"Hang on, Spiderman, I'll save you!" cried Rachel, barely able to speak through her uncontrollable giggles. There he goes again, she thought to herself happily, creating yet another moment she would never forget.


	4. Chapter 4

Juice Box

It was a moment 29 years in the making. Since graduating NYU, Rachel Berry Hudson had been fortunate enough to land several starring roles in notable off-Broadway musicals, always receiving rave reviews. At the age of 25, she was thrilled to make her Broadway debut as a member of the ensemble of Phantom, and ever since then had found herself landing bigger and bigger roles in various productions on The Great White Way. Shortly after she and Finn celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary, Rachel Barbra Berry experienced the third greatest moment of her life, surpassed only by the day she married her incredible husband and the day their son was born. Rachel got the news that she was chosen for the starring role in Mary Poppins, a role originated by the incomparable Julie Andrews.

Opening night was all that she had dreamed it would be. As the curtain fell that evening, the audience leaped to their feet, cheering the starlet with thunderous applause. In the front row, her two dads, Kurt, Blaine, Burt, and Carole clapped with fervent enthusiasm, glowing with pride, only to be eclipsed by the sweet reaction of her precious Finn. He stood speechless, tears streaming down his face, smiling at his girl with eyes filled with complete and total admiration. Ever since high school, he had been awaiting that moment almost as eagerly as she had been. Rachel told him countless times that she never would have made it this far without his constant support and encouragement, and he could feel the gratitude returned in her gaze as he mouthed, "You did it, babe," and she pointed right back at him.

All of the excitement was almost too much for five-year-old Christopher Hudson to bear. His mommy was in a big play, and Papa and Grampy and Pop Pop Burt and Nana were all in town to come and watch her, and of course spoil their only grandson. Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine had showed him lots of pictures of mommy in her beautiful costumes and told him about her flying with her special umbrella. Mommy had taught him all of the songs from her show, and he loved them all, especially the one with the spoonfuls of sugar. He thought that sounded very yummy.

So when everyone got to go to Mommy's show while Chris had to stay home, he was more than a little disappointed, even though he got to bake cookies and stay up late with Auntie Mercedes and Uncle Sam, who would be going to the show the next night. Finn and Rachel felt badly, but they just weren't sure that Chris could sit still and behave through the entire show. He was only five after all, and he hardly had the attention span to sit through Toy Story 3. But he was so anxious to see Mommy on stage as Mary Poppins, especially having seen the movie more times than he could count.

Finally, after several days of Chris begging and promising to be extra good, Finn and Rachel gave in. Chris could be adorably convincing, and when he told Finn that he "just wanted to show everybody in the whole theater how pretty his Mommy sings," he had to cave. So it was decided that Finn would take Chris to the matinee showing on Saturday afternoon, since he wouldn't be too tired at that time and would have a decent shot at avoiding crankiness.

Finn spent the better part of Saturday morning instructing Chris on proper theater etiquette as he got him dressed in his little gray suit and striped tie that Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine had given him.

"Okay buddy," Finn said slowly, "Now tell me again what the rules are, okay?"

Chris bit his lip and thought for a moment before expertly reciting, "No yelling, only whispering. No noisy toys allowed in the theater. And I have to go potty right before the show starts."

"That's right, bud," said Finn, "Let's go see Mommy, okay?" he said as he tied Chris's little dress shoes.

"YEAH!" Chris shouted, "Mommy's going to love me in my shiny shoes!"

"I'm sure she will, C. We'll show her after the show, okay?"

"Okay Daddy," promised Chris.

Finn took his son by the hand as they began making their way to the theater, Spiderman backpack in tow. At Rachel's suggestion, Finn had packed enough snacks and activities to keep Chris occupied and out of trouble before the show, and during, if necessary. Also at Rachel's suggestion, he kept Chris outside the theater until a few minutes before the start of the performance. Their weekly trips to temple taught them that the longer he waited around for something to start, the antsier he became.

At five minutes to two 'o clock, Finn and Chris made their way up to the second row. After settling Chris in his seat, Finn took a juice box from the backpack and handed it to Chris.

"That's not the right kind, Dad," Chris protested, "those are the vegetable kind Mom gives me in the morning, with my Buzz Lightyear vitamin. She lets me have the good ones for snack!"

Finn frowned. "Look, this is what I've got, Chris," he said firmly, "the show's about to start, so just take it, okay?"

"Okaaaaaaaaay," Chris groaned, taking the juice box.

Just then, the lights dimmed and the music of the orchestra began to swell. Chris's eyes lit up like Christmas bulbs as he began to bounce in his seat and flap his arms up and down in excitement to the familiar tune.

"Okay, calm down, Chris, okay?" Finn said, looking worried.

Chris did settle down as the first few scenes unfolded. He watched intently and sang quietly along with Jane and Michael Banks. Finn began to relax. He glanced around at the other theatregoers in the seats around them, who smiled and seemed impressed by such good behavior from such a young child at his first Broadway show. Finn was starting to feel pretty proud of himself for having prepared Chris so well for the experience. Yup, he was an amazing dad, he thought to himself, ruffling Chris's hair lovingly.

And then Rachel came onstage. Chris jumped up in his seat. It was at that moment that Finn realized that five-year-olds really don't have an appreciation for what it means to be in character. Suddenly, he totally knew what was coming.

"MOMMY!" Chris shouted, scrambling to stand on his seat as Finn desperately tried to wrangle him into his lap.

"HI MOMMY! HI MOMMY!" Chris was now waving frantically, trying to get Rachel's attention. "MOMMY! DADDY BROUGHT THE WRONG KIND OF JUICE BOX! He brought the kind you give me in the morning! But I didn't get upset! Remember you said, 'you get what you get and you don't get upset!' Are you proud of me, Mommy?"

The audience giggled as Rachel went on with her scene, acknowledging Chris with a smile.

Finn's face flushed with embarrassment as he purposely avoided eye contact with the people around him.

"Shhhhhhh!" he whispered intently, "Chris, you can't talk to Mommy when she's up there, okay?"

"Okay, Dad." Chris whispered knowingly. Finn held Chris tightly in his lap and silently prayed that no more outbursts would erupt from his very excitable son. He loosened his grip as Rachel began to sing "A Spoonful of Sugar," one of Chris's favorite songs. Chris bopped along merrily to the song, his comments of "MOMMY, YOUR VOICE IS PRETTY BUT IT'S SO LOUD HERE!" and "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SING THE X-PEY ALA DOCIOUS ONE?" thankfully muffled by the orchestra.

After the song ended, Finn thought that Chris had finally gotten the initial excitement of seeing his mother on stage out of his system. But just as Mary was taking the children to meet Bert, Chris waited for a break in the dialogue until he shouted, "MOMMY, I WENT POTTY RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOW AND SO DID DADDY! WE USED THE URINALS TOGETHER!"

The audience burst into hysterical laughter. Finn wished at that moment that the floor of the theater would open up and swallow him. He decided it was time to get Chris out of the theater, and fast. He scooped Chris up in his arms and preemptively placed a hand over his son's mouth, knowing that protesting howls would be coming. He was right.

"BUT I DIDN'T GET TO SHOW MOMMY MY SHINY SHOES! MOMMY, LOOK AT MY SHOES! HEY, MY SPIDERMAN BACKPACK, THAT LADY IS GOING TO TAKE IT! DAAAAAAAAADY!" Chris screamed.

Once in the lobby, Finn placed Chris back on the ground. Finn was embarrassed and upset, but he couldn't really be angry with Chris. He was just a kid trying to talk to his mom. Finn knelt down next to Chris and placed his hand on his cheek.

"Look, buddy," he began softly, "I know you weren't trying to misbehave. But we just can't talk to Mommy when she's up there. Hey, remember when we went to see The Wiggles?" he explained gently, "We didn't try to talk to them when they were singing 'Hot Potato', right? Because they were doing their jobs. Mommy is doing her job right now, too, so we can't interrupt her, okay?"

Chris nodded tearfully. "I'm sorry, Daddy," he whispered, looking at the floor. Finn smiled and hugged his son to his chest.

"Hey, it's okay, honey," he said warmly, "you know, when I watch Mommy up there being so amazing, sometimes I want to yell to her too. I want to shout, 'Yay, Mommy! You're awesome!' But everybody would think Daddy was pretty silly, huh?"

"You ARE silly, Daddy," Chris smiled.

"Yeah, I am, buddy," Finn grinned, "Hey, how about we listen to Mommy sing from out here for awhile, and then we'll go get some Sour Patch Kids and go back in after intermission, okay?"

"Okay," Chris agreed, "but that lady's not going to touch my stuff, right?"

"Yeah, I don't think she's going to take your Spiderman backpack," laughed Finn, "I think she's more of a Batman fan. She was wearing a cape."

Chris giggled as Finn tickled him. After intermission, they did go back to their seats with their Sour Patch Kids. It seemed that Finn's talk had worked, as Chris didn't have another outburst for the rest of the show. The handfuls of gummy candy keeping his mouth busy probably didn't hurt either. At the end of the show, Chris and Finn cheered wildly along with the audience as Rachel came out for her curtain call. She motioned for Finn to lift Chris up to her on stage.

Rachel proudly stood holding her son's hand on stage as the applause continued. Always a ham, Chris took several sweeping bows along with his mom. Appropriate, Finn thought, as Chris had provided quite a bit of entertainment during the performance. Finn laughed happily as he watched those two adorable creatures who made up his whole world, standing up there together. His heart swelled with joy.

As the applause died down and the actors began to leave the stage, Finn began gathering up Chris's things. Suddenly realizing his thirst, he took a sip of the abandoned juice box. He made a face at the bitter taste of the vegetable juice. No wonder, he thought to himself, smiling. Next time, I'll bring the good ones.


	5. Chapter 5

**Toilet Paper**

It was six o' clock on a Thursday evening, and Finn Hudson was carefully examining the chunk of meatball on his fork.

"Hmmmmm," he said thoughtfully, taking a bite. "Okay, I'm going to guess...vegan? No, wait—beef. Definitely. Yup, it's totally beef," he concluded with confidence. "Face it, babe, I am a man who knows his meat."

Rachel laughed, nearly spitting out the water she was drinking. "Interesting choice of words, hon," she giggled, "and you're wrong! It's vegan! Suck on that, Hudson!"

Rachel gloated proudly as Finn opened the lid of the garbage can, checking for an empty box of vegan meatballs.

"How do I know you're telling the truth? You could totally be making that up!" protested Finn.

"Really, babe? You're looking through the garbage?" Rachel teased. "Somebody's a sore loser..." she sang, bringing some dishes over to the sink.

"Really, babe? You're going to mess with me?" Finn teased back, "I've got, like a hundred pounds on you."

Sneaking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. Smiling, she placed her arms over his and squeezed back.

"You're lucky I love you," she said, looking up at him, "otherwise I'd totally kick your ass."

Finn looked down at her grinning. "Hey Chriiiiiiis!" he called to his son, who had gone to the bathroom, "Mommy thinks she can take me down. Wanna try to help her?" he laughed. There was no response.

"He's been in there for a while," Rachel said worriedly. Finn and Rachel exchanged a look of alarm. Suddenly serious, they both lurched toward the bathroom at the same time. Chris being alone and silent for an extended period of time could only mean that he'd found some creative way of making a huge mess.

Just as Finn reached for the bathroom doorknob, the door opened slowly. Out stepped Chris, completely wrapped from head to toe in an entire roll of toilet paper. Long streams of toilet paper hung from his arms as extended them and began to walk stiffly.

"Look! I'm a mummy!" he squealed excitedly, walking right into a wall and stumbling to the ground. "Oops! Dad, I'm stuck!" he yelped, tangled in his homemade costume.

Finn and Rachel locked eyes, both of them repeating the same thought to themselves: DO NOT LAUGH. DO NOT LAUGH. DO NOT LAUGH. Suddenly, Finn couldn't bear it any longer. He ran back into the kitchen and sank to the floor behind the counter, where his five-year-old son would not see him muffling his raucous laughter with a dishtowel. He knew he was now in more trouble than Chris was for leaving Rachel to have to keep a straight face and meter out the punishment, but what could he do? He took a deep breath, desperately trying to pull himself together, only to find himself erupting into another round of hysterics.

_Oh, he is in soooo much trouble_, Rachel thought to herself as she pulled Chris up off the floor. The sight of her giant husband bolting the scene like a little kid and collapsing behind the counter added to the hilarity of the moment. She had to rely heavily on her acting skills to muster a serious expression and keep any giggles from creeping into her voice.

"CHRISTOPHER. FINNEGAN. HUDSON," she began firmly, "We DO NOT waste toilet paper like that. It's bad for the earth and its disrespectful of your father and I who work hard so that we can buy things like toilet paper. You need to clean up this mess right now. Then, you can go right to your room for the night. You'll finish your dinner in there and go right to bed, young man."

Chris hung his head. "But MOOOOOOMMM! I was just being THEATRICAL," he whined.

"Now Chris," Rachel began, "you and I have talked about this. There's a time and a place for your theatricality. You can't use that for an excuse to do whatever you want. Now get started cleaning up this toilet paper."

"Fiiiiine," he said sullenly, pulling toilet paper off of his arms. Rachel held open a garbage bag while Chris awkwardly scooped up mounds of toilet paper and dumped them in. When he finished, she kissed him on the head.

"Now go take your plate to your room to finish," she said. "Daddy and I will be in in a few minutes to get you ready for bed."

"Okaaaaay," he sulked, heading toward his room. "Hey, wait—if I finish my dinner and put my jammies on and brush my teeth and clean up my room all by myself, can Daddy read me one story?" he asked hopefully.

"We'll see," she said, ushering him into his room. When Chris was out of sight, she grinned to herself and walked to the other side of the kitchen counter, where a very guilty-looking Finn sat on the floor, leaning against the cabinets. He smiled up at her sheepishly.

"So what do you have to say for yourself, Daddy?" she asked, sitting down next to him and mussing his hair.

"I'm so sorry, babe!" he sputtered, "I panicked! I mean, when he came out all wrapped in that stuff-" he interrupted himself with more laughter. Rachel began giggling uncontrollably too.

"I KNOW!" she squealed letting her head fall onto Finn's shoulder, "and when he walked right into the wall!" she howled. Finn threw his arm around her as they both laughed until tears rolled down their cheeks.

"Well," Finn said, catching his breath at last, "I owe you one."

"Yes you do," Rachel replied, "Chris asked for you to read him one story...and I know he's going to ask for that really long Star Wars one."

"Okaaaay," Finn groaned. "No big deal, actually," he said brightening, "I've been working on my Yoda voice. Check this out: Doooo or dooo not. There eez no try," he squeaked, "Beeeeautiful and forgiiiving, my wife eeez."

"Okay, Jedi Master," laughed Rachel, patting his rear end. "Oh, and one more thing. You'll have to run out to the store tonight. We seem to be out of toilet paper."


	6. Chapter 6

Mailman

(credit to GleekOut87 on for the "mailman" prompt. I know this isn't exactly what you had in mind, but I hope you like it anyway!)

"Yes, thank you for calling, Mrs. Reed. We'll certainly have a talk with him right away. I'm so sorry about this," Rachel apologized. Hanging up the phone, she walked back into the kitchen where her husband and son were finishing their tofu buffalo wings. Chris was giggling off of his chair as Finn showed him his walrus impression.

"Who wath on the phone?" Finn asked, celery-stick tusks still stuck in his front teeth. Seeing the look of concern on her face, he quickly took them out.

"What's wrong, babe?" he asked.

"That was Chris's kindergarten teacher," she frowned, "she was calling to tell us about something that happened at school today. Chris, did you hit your friend Jason?"

Finn's jaw dropped. Sure, Chris could get a little rambunctious sometimes, and he certainly needed work in the sharing department, but they had never known him to hit someone. Both Finn and Rachel fixed their eyes on their son, awaiting his response.

"Well, yeah, but I was just playing!" Chris exclaimed.

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, playing? What kind of game involves you hitting someone?" she asked.

"Well, we were playing "post office." We were sorting letters and packages, and then Jason said I could be the mailman," Chris explained.

Finn and Rachel exchanged confused glances. What on earth was he talking about?

"Buddy, you're not making any sense," Finn began, "Why would you hit Jason because he said you could be the mailman?"

"Because that's what you're supposed to do when someone says, 'mailman'," Chris rolled his eyes, "you know, sometimes you say, "mailman" to Mommy, like when she gives you a big kiss. When you say "mailman," Mommy always hits you and laughs. That's the game."

Finn's eyes widened as Rachel put her hand over her mouth.

"But Jason didn't laugh, he started crying," Chris continued. "I guess he doesn't know how to play," he shrugged.

"Okay, Chris," said Rachel, "Why don't you go work on your puzzle in your room while Daddy and I talk for a minute."

"Okay," said Chris, skipping out of the room, his face still smeared with barbeque sauce.

As soon as Chris was out of earshot, Finn burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, Rach! What are we gonna do about this one?" he grinned.

"Finn! This isn't funny!" Rachel cried, "What are we going to tell him? What are we going to tell Mrs. Reed? This is so embarrassing!"

"Relax, babe," he said, rubbing her shoulders, "We'll think of something that won't be too traumatizing."

"YOU," she said accusingly, pointing a finger at her husband, "you got us into this mess, mister!"

"Hey," he protested, "I can't help it if my wife is super hot. Wait, this is your fault! You're the one who kissed me, with _that_ kind of kiss—you know what that does to me! You can't plead ignorance there, babe!"

"Okay, okay, think, think, think, ideas, ideas..." Rachel chanted, pacing frantically across the kitchen floor.

Finn shook his head, still chuckling. Despite the sensitive subject matter, Rach had to admit that this was hilarious. Maybe a few years from now, he laughed to himself.

"Okay, I've got it," she began, "let's go talk to him. Just follow my lead, okay?"

"You got it," Finn smiled, "the less I have to say, the better. There's just way too much potential for me to cause permanent damage here." Rachel nodded.

"Chris?" she said, opening the door to his bedroom, "Daddy and I are ready to talk to you about what happened today. Come here, please."

Chris put down the puzzle pieces he was holding and climbed onto his bed where his mom and dad sat. He climbed into Finn's lap and snuggled into his chest.

"Am I in trouble, Daddy?" he asked, looking up at Finn with his best puppy dog eyes.

"No, buddy," said Finn, "just listen to Mommy, okay?"

Chris turned to his mom, wondering what she would say.

"Look, Chris," Rachel began, "the 'mailman' isn't really a game, it's just an old joke that Daddy and I share."

"I like jokes!" Chris exclaimed.

"Well, it's not really a _joke_ joke, more like something funny that we both remember, that only really makes sense to us. And when Daddy says that, and I give him a little jab, it's just my way of saying, 'Oh Daddy, stop being so silly.' Do you understand?" she asked hopefully.

"I do, Mommy! It's like an 'inside joke', right?" Chris piped up.

"Well...yeah," Rachel said, surprised at his use of the term, "how do you know about 'inside jokes'?"

"Daddy and I have lots of them! Like sometimes when you yell at us for leaving the toilet seat up and Daddy stands behind you going like this—blah, blah, blah," Chris said, making his hand "talk."

"Oh, _really_?" she said, raising an eyebrow at Finn, whose face was buried in his palm.

"Bottom line, buddy," said Finn, looking up, "no hitting anybody. Not even as a joke, because the other person might not take it that way. Got it?"

"Got it, Dad," Chris said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Okay, sweetie," Rachel said, "go get ready for your bath, okay? Daddy will get the tub ready while I call Mrs. Reed back."

"Nice job, Mommy! Crisis averted!" Finn cheered.

"So 'blah, blah, blah,' huh?" she mused, "I'll remember that, Hudson."

"Um...yeah," Finn mumbled, scratching his head, "where are you going?"

"Just going to call Mrs. Reed and explain the situation," she said.

"You going to tell her it was just an inside-joke thing?" he asked.

"Nope," she said, "that's just what I told Chris. I'm going to tell Mrs. Reed that my husband nearly killed a civil servant when he was learning to drive and that he uses that memory to prevent premature ejaculation," she said casually.

Finn laughed. "Oh, you're going to get it, woman!" he cried, picking up over his shoulder as she giggled wildly.

"Better put me down, babe," Rachel laughed as Chris came out of the bathroom, "or we'll be getting a phone call about this one next!"

The end.


	7. Chapter 7

**Boys' Day**

It was Friday afternoon, and the Lady Gaga blasting from Rachel Berry Hudson's iPod could be heard all the way from the stairwell of their apartment building. So absorbed in their raging dance party were Rachel and Chris that Finn was able to open the door and slip inside unnoticed. He stood just inside the door, laughing hysterically at the sight of his wife and son decked out in crazy wigs, sunglasses, and feather boas, dancing and jumping on the couches and singing at the top of their lungs. As she was leaping from one couch to the other, Rachel glanced up to see Finn doubled over with laughter. She and Chris collapsed into a giggly heap, feeling a little silly about being caught in their Gaga outfits.

"So _this_ is what you two do when I'm at work? I think I'm going to have to issue you a citation for disturbing the peace," Finn grinned, "I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd stop to say hello to my two favorite little monsters."

Rachel melted inside at the sight of her tall, handsome husband in his police uniform. He always changed into his street clothes after his shift, so she only got to see him in uniform when he stopped in while on duty. He just looked so strong and brave and downright irresistible, Rachel thought dreamily, and to top it all off he was holding a bright bouquet of sunflowers.

"These are for you, babe," he said, handing her the bouquet. She beamed as he bent down and kissed her cheek gently.

"Thank you, Finny," she demurred, leaning into his chest.

"And this is for you, buddy," he said, giving Chris a white paper bag. Chris opened the bag and peeked inside.

"A sprinkle cookie! Thanks, Daddy!" exclaimed Chris, hugging Finn around his waist. "Mom, can I have it now?"

"Sure honey," said Rachel, "since you ate a good lunch after kindergarten today." Chris took his giant cookie out of the bag and started munching away.

"Well, I've got to run," Finn said, "I just wanted to do something special for Mommy since I won't see her much tomorrow...hmm, what's tomorrow again, Chris?" he teased.

"BOYS' DAY! OH YEAH!" Chris shouted, doing a celebratory dance.

Rachel laughed. Tomorrow was the third Saturday of the month, which meant that Finn and Chris would be joining Uncle Blaine and Manny for some guy time while she and Kurt had a day of pampering and girl talk. Afterward, they'd all meet up for a family dinner at Rosewood, where they'd stuff themselves silly and laugh about whatever adventures they'd had that day.

"Looking forward to it, my man!" Finn agreed, high-fiving his son.

"Bye, Officer! Thank you for the flowers! We're sorry about the noise!" teased Rachel, kissing Finn lightly on the lips.

"Just keep it down, ma'am," he grinned, tipping his hat.

"WAKE UP, DAD!" Chris shouted, his face two inches away from his sleeping father's. He had already dressed himself in a Jets jersey, red sweatpants, and two different socks. He had also gotten into Finn's hair product and pushed his hair forward, then spiked it up a little in front, just like dad.

"CHRIIIIIIIIIIS," Finn groaned, rolling over. "Nice hair," he mumbled, "but it's sooooo early. We're not meeting them until ten," he said, squinting at the alarm clock, which read 7:02.

"But I'm so excited," said Chris, frowning, "I can't wait that long."

"Alright," Finn conceded, "I'm up now, anyway. Here, I'll put on your TV show and you can snuggle up with Mommy while I get in the shower. Try not to wake her up, okay?"

"Okay!" he shouted, diving into the blankets.

Finn yawned as he stood letting the hot water hit his shoulders. Truth be told, he was pretty excited for Boys' Day too. It was a tradition that the Hummels and Hudsons had begun about a year ago, when Kurt and Blaine first fostered Manny, who then had just turned two. Now officially adopted, Manny was a three-year-old with an energy level to match that of his older cousin. Finn was thrilled for his brother, and he loved that they all got to be a part of each others' lives. Finn had the kind of family he had always dreamed of. Of course he really hoped they'd add a baby girl to the mix once they got a bigger place, but for now everything seemed complete.

Finn wondered what they might do that day. Most of the time, they'd meet up with Blaine and Manny at Prospect Park, where they'd toss a football around or shoot some hoops, then let the boys burn some energy on the playground. Then they'd go out and get some awesome, greasy food that Kurt and Rachel would never approve of, like double cheeseburgers and cheese fries at Shake Shack. After lunch, they'd take the kids down to the fields to watch the soccer games, go bowling, or maybe go back to one of their apartments to watch the Ohio State game and teach the boys the finer points of football. Sometimes they'd find out about something going on nearby that the boys would be into, like a model train exhibit or a car show. It was going to be a gorgeous fall day, maybe they'd take the boys to do some fishing at the pond in the park.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Finn smiled at the two lumps hiding under the bedspread. Chris had woken Rachel up, of course, and had convinced her to hide with him to play a trick on Daddy. Chris's muffled giggles could be heard beneath the blankets.

"Hmmm," said Finn loudly, "I wonder where Mommy and Chris are. I guess I'll just lay down here on my lumpy bed and wait for them!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Chris and Rachel screamed as Finn pretended to lay down on top of them.

"Hey, what are you two doing there?" Finn said in mock amazement.

"Tricking you!" Chris yelled. Finn managed to snuggle his large body in between Chris and Rachel, nuzzling into Rachel's shoulder.

"Back to sleep," Finn murmured peacefully as Rachel played with his wet hair.

"C'mon, Chris," she laughed, "let's give poor Daddy a few more minutes to rest. I'll get you some breakfast."

Rachel and Chris made their way to the kitchen and poured themselves some cereal. Rachel smiled at Chris as he crunched his Raisin Bran.

"Excited, buddy?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Chris exclaimed, "what are you and Uncle Kurt going to do today?"

"Well," Rachel said, "we're going to the salon and then we'll do some shopping."

"Are they going to do your hair?" he asked nonchalantly.

"No, just my nails," Rachel replied, "why?"

"Maybe you could tell them to do your hair too," Chris said, squinting critically at her messy bun, "it's kind of crazy."

"You're a piece of work, you know that kid?" Rachel laughed, nearly choking on her cereal.

She was excited about her day, too. She and Kurt liked to joke that someday, they would spend their girl time getting seaweed wraps at a fancy spa and shopping on 5th Avenue. For now, they were more than happy with the $30 mani-pedi special at Park Slope Nails and hunting for vintage treasures at thrift shops. They were both fortunate enough to have amazing husbands, beautiful sons, and steady work on stage doing what they loved, and that was worth more than any luxury could provide.

After a rigorous morning of jumping in leaf piles, learning how to dribble a basketball, and running around Prospect Park like maniacs, Chris Hudson and Manny Hummel had worked up quite an appetite. Blaine and Finn had to go back up to the counter to get more cheese fries for themselves so they wouldn't have to fight the boys for them. They shook their heads, laughing, as Chris and Manny repeatedly took sips of their milkshakes and shouted, "BRAIN FREEZE!" and erupted into giggles. Finn was just about to ask the boys what they'd like to do after lunch when Chris suddenly piped up with one of his random thoughts.

"Dad, can you tell me about when you used to sing on a stage like Mommy?" he asked.

Finn was taken by surprise. He smiled, thinking about all of those Glee Club competitions in high school where he and Rachel belted out duets in front of a big crowd, and how amazing it felt.

"Wow, buddy, that was a loooooong time ago," Finn mused, "but, yeah, I used to sing on a stage in front of lots of people when I was in school. It was a lot of fun."

Blaine grinned. "Chris, your dad is an _awesome _singer. He always sang the big leads, lots of times with your mom," he boasted, hitting Finn on the back.

"Hey Manny, your dad was a big singing star too, did you know that?" Finn interjected.

Manny's eyes widened as he smiled shyly, unsure if Uncle Finn was joking.

"You know..." Blaine began slyly, "that gives me an idea of what we can do this afternoon. Boys, how would you like to see your dads sing on a stage?"

Finn laughed. "Uh oh, I think Uncle Blainers has gone cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs."

"No, I'm serious, Finn! Karaoke—we're doing it!" Blaine asserted.

"Blaine, we can't take our kids to a bar! Kurt and Rachel will have us killed!" Finn reasoned.

"Finn, I'm not suggesting we bring the children to a bar!" Blaine exclaimed, "Kurt said some of his castmates were talking about a diner over on Flatbush that has karaoke. What do you say, boys?"

"Yeahhhhhhh!" cheered Chris, "I wanna hear Daddy sing!" Manny clapped his hands with excitement.

"Fiiiiine," Finn conceded, throwing his hands up in the air, "but I'm not singing 'Jessie's Girl,' I don't need Chris reading into the innuendo in that one. And you are NOT singing 'Teenage Dream,'" he warned.

"I promise," Blaine laughed.

Finn looked around as they walked into the diner. The place was packed with families, and on the stage an adorable little girl was singing about the sun coming out tomorrow. Kids, parents, and teenagers were looking through books of songs and waiting their turn to take the stage. Finn relaxed upon seeing the casual environment and began to get excited about singing in front of people again. In fact, he couldn't wait to show Chris what his old man could do. He grinned as they walked over to counter to peruse the song selections.

Not a moment after Blaine opened up one of the binders, Chris and Manny began to shout, "Toy Story! Toy Story!" pointing to an illustration of Woody the Cowboy.

"DADDY!" Chris exclaimed, "I WANT YOU TO SING A TOY STORY SONG!"

"Well, Finn, looks like you'll be broadening your musical repertoire today," joked Blaine, "I never thought I'd get to see you sing a Disney song!"

"Ohhhh no," Finn said, "I'm not doing this alone, dude."

"Well, I guess it'll be a daddy duet then," Blaine laughed, "we're gonna rock this place, boys!"

When their song came up, Blaine sat Chris and Manny right in the front of the stage.

"Let's do this," Finn nodded at his brother-in-law.

The music began and Finn began to sing, "_You've got a friend in me, ohhh, you've got a friend in me_..."

Blaine joined in, "_When the road's lookin' rough ahead, and you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed..._"

The restaurant suddenly got quiet as heads began to turn toward the stage. People began to clap along. Finn noticed several people whisper to each other, "hey, these guys are really good!" He smiled brightly as he sang, "_Some other people might be a little bit smarter than I am, bigger and stronger too..._" They both pointed to their sons as Blaine finished, "_but none of them will ever love you the way I do, it's me and you..._" Chris and Manny giggled with glee, totally in awe of their dads. When the song ended, the whole place thundered with applause, and Chris and Manny cheered and ran to Finn and Blaine, nearly knocking them to the ground.

"Daddy, you and Uncle Blaine are big stars like Mommy!" Chris exclaimed, hugging Finn around his waist.

"I don't know about that, buddy," Finn laughed, "but that was a lot of fun!"

Sitting at their table at Rosewood, Chris and Manny colored in their Batman activity books and argued over whether Batman should have a black cape or a blue one. Finn was looking skeptically at Blaine, who was suggesting that Batman was the most fashionable superhero because he had costumes in several color schemes, when Kurt and Rachel walked in.

Finn smiled as his beautiful wife made her way over to the table.

"Mommy!" shouted Chris, jumping into her arms.

"Hi baby!" she said, squeezing him tightly, "how are my boys?"

"Mommy, Daddy SANG at a RESTAURANT! And Uncle Blaine did too! They sang the TOY STORY SONG!" Chris shouted, jumping up and down.

"What? Oh my goodness! Did you guys go to that new place on Flatbush?" Rachel exclaimed, "I can't believe I missed out!"

"It was really cool, Mommy!" said Chris. "Daddy was awesome! But don't worry, you are still a good singer, too," he said encouragingly.

"Thanks, buddy," Rachel laughed. She stood behind Finn's chair and slipped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him from behind and kissing him softly on the cheek.

"I can't wait to hear all about it," she said, sitting down next to her husband. "I'm totally getting my own private performance later," she whispered in his ear, "but not Toy Story...maybe a little 'Pretending'? We'll kick that ending up a few notches."

Finn raised his eyebrows, grinning. He'd definitely have to make a habit of singing more often.


	8. Chapter 8

"Dinner Party"

"Mommy, are you ready yet?" Chris asked, bouncing onto the bed.

"Just one second, baby," Rachel replied as she finished putting on her lipstick. She turned to look at her son, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs dangling over the side. He was wearing a pinstriped button-down shirt and a little red sweater vest with dress pants and his "shiny shoes." He was grinning proudly, waiting for Rachel to tell him how handsome he looked.

"Christopher Hudson, you are one handsome dude!" exclaimed Rachel, ruffling his hair, "you look more and more like Daddy every day!"

"Hey, watch the hair," he frowned, "Daddy just made it all sticky-uppy for me!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she laughed. She looked up to see Finn standing in the doorway, smiling.

"Hey, Mommy, you look beautiful," said Finn, raising his eyebrows and nodding with approval. He took Rachel's hand and spun her around, admiring the way her dark hair was swept away from her face, making her eyes look even brighter than usual.

"Thank you, Daddy," Rachel giggled, "not too bad there, yourself." She adjusted his striped navy tie and reached up to stroke his cheek.

"Oooh, you're all nice and smooth!" she exclaimed, "No more scratchy Daddy, Chris!"

"Good!" said Chris, "I don't like when your face is all prickly, Daddy!"

"Oh come on," Finn groaned, "can't a guy skip shaving on his day off every now and then?"

"Let's go, you two," laughed Rachel, "or we're going to be late."

Finn slipped an arm around his wife's waist and took his son's hand. As they walked down the five flights of stairs to the lobby, Rachel began the usual speech that one of them always gave Chris before going to pretty much any restaurant other than Shake Shack.

"Now Chris," she began, "we are going to a very nice place tonight. There will be no whining, no yelling, no hiding under the table, no misbehaving of any kind. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mommy," Chris replied.

"This is a very special dinner with some of Mommy's old friends that she was in a show with, and they wanted us to bring you so they can see how much you've grown," added Finn, "the last time they saw you, you were just a baby!"

"And now I'm a big boy!" said Chris proudly.

"Yes you are," said Finn, "so I hope that you'll act like it." He gave Chris his best stern, fatherly look to let him know he meant business.

When they arrived at Sardi's, Rachel's former Cabaret castmates were already seated at a table near the back with their husbands. Upon seeing the Hudson family, Rachel's friends began to wave them over excitedly.

"Rachel! It's been such a long time!" squealed Annie, hugging her tightly. She turned to Finn and grinned brightly.

"Finn, so good to see you," she said warmly, giving him a hug. She looked down to see Chris hiding behind his father's leg.

"And this handsome guy must be Christopher!" she gasped, "I cannot believe you're a big boy now! My goodness, Finn, he looks exactly like you!"

Chris gave a shy crooked smile as he loosened his grip on Finn's suit jacket. Rachel and Finn exchanged greetings with the rest of the group and settled into their seats with Chris in between them.

"It is _so_ amazing to see you guys!" Rachel gushed, "I can't believe how time has flown by!"

"Well, you've made good use of your time, Rach," said Kristen, "you were great in Mary Poppins, you've got yourself a beautiful family. You're a lucky girl."

"Yeah, I have no complaints," beamed Rachel, smiling at Finn and Chris. Chris was still feeling timid, trying to bury his face in Finn's arm.

"Hey, buddy," said Finn softly, "don't be shy." It was always funny to him whenever his usually boisterous son was bashful. These people would never guess that this was the same kid who was known to belt out Lady Gaga songs in the middle of the grocery store while wearing swim goggles and a superhero cape. He reached under his chair where Chris's Spiderman backpack sat.

"Do you want to color?" he asked, "Daddy will get your crayons out."

Chris didn't answer. He looked up quickly and smiled before covering his face with his hands.

"Hey Chris," said Rachel, "Did I ever tell you about the first time Daddy and I came here?"

Chris looked at Rachel and shook his head. Finn grinned.

"Well, Daddy took me here for a very special night when we were here for our show choir competition in high school," Rachel remembered fondly, "and do you know who we met?"

Chris looked up, interested.

"The one and only Patti Lupone," replied Rachel.

"YOU MEAN, THE "DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA" LADY, MOM?" he asked increduously.

The whole table burst out laughing as Chris's shyness suddenly vanished.

"Chris has a very balanced upbringing," laughed Finn, "I'd say he's probably the only kid in his kindergarten class who can name the Yankees starting lineup _and _all of the musical numbers from 'Evita.'"

"Chris, how do you like kindergarten?" asked Kristen.

"It's good," said Chris proudly, "I can read, you know."

"Wow," said Kristen, smiling, "can you show us?"

Chris picked up the leather-bound menu and opened it up. He furrowed his brow in deep concentration as he stared at the words on the page.

"Salad..." he began, focusing intently on the next word, "salad ni-coz-ay," he read carefully.

The whole table giggled adoringly at the little boy's pronunciation. Finn patted Chris on the back.

"Very good, buddy," he said, grinning, "that's a hard word! It's actually pronounced 'ni-swah.' It's French."

"Oh," said Chris, frowning, "then they should write it that way."

"I couldn't agree more," laughed Finn, along with the rest of the table. Chris smiled, satisfied with himself for making everybody laugh. He noticed a busboy placing a basket of breadsticks on the table.

"Hey, Dad!" Chris said, "now you can show everyone your walrus impression!"

"Not here, my friend," Rachel giggled, "now let's see that coloring book. I want to color Superman with you."

"He is so darn cute," said Annie, "when are you two going to have another one?"

Rachel gave a little laugh and a shrug. She looked up at Finn to see him smiling brightly at her. She smiled back, knowing what he was thinking.

The rest of the evening passed quickly as they all enjoyed catching up over chicken parmesean and lasagna. Chris gobbled up hisandhalf of Rachel's dessert as the adults sipped cappucino. Before it was time to say goodbye, he fell asleep on Finn's lap, cannoli cream still on his face.

Finn and Rachel entered their apartment, yawning. Finn carried Chris to his room and placed him on his Star Wars comforter as Rachel took off his shiny shoes. Finn folded the blankets down as Rachel changed their slumbering son into flannel pajamas. After he was tucked in, they both stood back and looked at their little boy, sleeping sweetly. Rachel leaned into Finn as he wrapped his arms around her.

"What were you thinking tonight, when Annie asked about us having another one?" Finn whispered, squeezing her tightly.

A smile crept across Rachel's lips as she turned toward her husband.

"I was thinking that I want to have more babies with you, Finn Hudson," she whispered back.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he grinned, lifting her off the ground and kissing her softly. Leaving Chris's room, they held hands as they walked to their own room and lay down on their bed. They lay down facing one another as Finn took both Rachel's hands in his and kissed them.

"Rach, you know I would love another boy, but I _really_ want a little girl who looks just like you. And she could be, like, 'Daddy's Little Girl,' and stuff, you know? And I'll learn how to fix her hair and I'll take her shopping and everything," Finn mused. He smiled when he noticed Rachel giggling at him.

"What?" he grinned, "getting a little ahead of myself, I guess, huh?"

"No," Rachel said, playfully running her fingers through his hair, "I was just thinking that you are so adorable...and that we are going to have some little diva on our hands!"

They both laughed as their lips found each other in the dark. As she melted into Finn, Rachel remembered Annie's words earlier that night. She _was_ a lucky girl.


	9. Chapter 9

"The News"

"...but Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye, and sailed back over a year, and in and out of weeks, and through a day, and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him. And it was still warm," Finn finished, closing Chris's favorite book.

"You never get tired of those Wild Things, do you?" he asked, tousling his son's thick brown hair.

"Hey, buddy," he continued, "Mommy and I have something to tell you."

He glanced nervously at Rachel, who gave an encouraging nod. It was kind of funny to both of them that, of all people, they were most anxious about breaking the big news to their five-year-old son. Rachel hadn't even felt this jittery when she told her directors that she'd be ending her run in Cabaret early, unless they wanted a visibly pregnant Sally Bowles (they didn't). Nor had Finn felt this apprehensive when telling his mother, who he knew would freak out that they were now going to be squeezing _two_ precious grandchildren into their tiny apartment (she did).

But those things mattered little to Finn and Rachel. Rachel knew that there would be plenty more roles in her future, and Finn would take another child to love over more spacious living quarters any day. When they came to New York, they knew it was entirely possible that they would never live an extravagant life, and they were prepared to make sacrifices for the things that really mattered to them. What mattered to them most was their little boy, who had grown used to being Mommy's one and only shining star and Daddy's best buddy. They worried about how he would adjust to the fact that he would no longer have his parents all to himself, and that he'd have to share their attention (and probably his room) with a new baby. They instinctively reached out to grab each others' hands as Chris looked at them with expectant eyes, waiting for Finn to continue.

"So...our family is going to be getting a little bit bigger," Finn said, smiling.

Chris's eyes lit up instantly as Finn and Rachel saw the thoughts swirling in his little head. He jumped up, clasping his arms around Finn's neck, nearly tackling him.

"WE'RE GETTING A PUPPY? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" he cried. Finn and Rachel looked at each other with alarm as Chris began to jump all over the room. Rachel acted quickly.

"Wait, Chris," she began, trying to catch him in her arms as he wriggled away, "that's not what we meant, honey..." Rachel's attempts to bring him back to earth were futile as he continued to bounce around, pumping his fist in the air.

"CHRISTOPHER FINNEGAN HUDSON!" she exclaimed, stopping him dead in his tracks, "WE ARE NOT GETTING A PUPPY. WE ARE HAVING A BABY. YOU ARE GOING TO BE A BIG BROTHER!"

Finn inhaled sharply, biting his lip in anticipation of Chris's response. Rachel waited as Chris stood in front of her, trying to piece together the news he had just received. She watched his expression change from shock to confusion before a smile finally crept at the corners of that adorably crooked mouth he inherited from his father.

"You mean I'm going to have my OWN BABY?" he asked incredulously, "and I can take him to the park in my wagon and show all my friends and I'll take care of him all by myself?"

Finn and Rachel burst out laughing, sharing a look of relief and joy. This kid never ran out of ways to amaze them.

"Well, kind of, Chris," Finn laughed, hugging his son to his chest, "I mean, Mommy and I are going to have to do a lot of the work, but you can definitely be a great helper."

"I can't believe I'm going to have a baby brother, just like Joey does!" Chris cried, continuing in his state of excitement.

"Whoa, honey," began Rachel, "you know, it could be a girl. You get what you get, right?"

"Okaaaaaaay," Chris relented, "but can we name it Annikan Skywalker?"

"We'll see, baby," laughed Rachel, "we'll take it into consideration."

"Well, on that note," said Finn, tucking Chris's blankets around him, "it's time for bed, big brother. I love you up to the moon."

"And back?" Chris asked as Finn kissed his forehead.

"And back," Finn replied.

"Goodnight, my angel," whispered Rachel, "I love you more than all the stars in the sky."

"Even the sun?" Chris asked as Rachel kissed his cheek.

"Even the sun," Rachel nodded.

Finn and Rachel quietly slipped out of Chris's room, closing the door behind them. They collapsed into a hug, each of them letting out a huge sigh.

"That went surprisingly well," Rachel smiled up at Finn, her hands resting upon his chest.

"Yeah," he said, grinning, "it's like, now that he knows, we can really get excited. It feels really...real, you know?"

"I know," she said, leaning into her husband's embrace as he rubbed her back gently, "even though we've been married for six years, and Chris is five now, and we're on our second baby...every now and then, it still hits me. We're a family. It's like, the most incredible feeling. It takes my breath away."

"A family," echoed Finn, holding his wife as tightly as his arms would let him, "a family."

_Quote from "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak_


	10. Chapter 10

"CHRIS! Don't touch that! It's not a video game!" shouted Finn, pulling his son away from the sonogram machine.

"That's okay, buddy. It does look fun, huh?" smiled the ultrasound tech, sitting down at her keyboard.

Chris smiled shyly, grabbing onto Finn's leg. Finn reached down to muss his son's hair.

"Oh, _now_ you're shy, right?" he laughed, "you ready to see your baby brother or sister?"

Chris nodded as he watched his mom lie down on the exam table. He cringed as the technician squirted gel on Rachel's belly.

"Ewww, what's that goo, Mommy?" he cried.

"Don't worry, Chris," Rachel reassured him, "it's just going to help them to use the special checker on Mommy's belly so we can see the baby."

"You mean 'Anakin,' right?" Chris asked.

"Well, I don't know about that," laughed Rachel, "after all, there's only one Anakin Skywalker, right?"

"Ohhh," Chris replied, as if a great revelation had just occurred, "I didn't think about that." Finn and Rachel shared a secret smile as they both noticed the wheels turning in Chris's little brain.

"Okay, let's take a look," said the technician.

Finn and Rachel turned their attention toward the screen as the tech moved the scope across Rachel's belly. Finn squeezed Rachel's hand as the image of their little one flickered before them.

"There you go, Chris," said Finn excitedly, "there's the baby!"

Chris furrowed his brow as he studied the screen with great interest.

"Dad, it looks like an ALIEN!" he said, giggling.

"Well, we all start out that way," Finn laughed.

"Look how it's swimming!" Chris marveled.

"He or she _is _moving around a lot, huh?" replied the tech, "that's great. Now we're going to go through and check all of the baby's parts and make sure everything looks good, okay?"

Chris nodded as his mom and dad exchanged anxious glances. This was the nerve-wracking part. Finn and Rachel watched intently as the baby's heart, lungs, and spine each came into focus on the screen. They each held their breath as they waited for each measurement to be taken, exhaling when she said that each one was normal. They shared relieved grins as the tech turned the volume on and the sound of the baby's heartbeat rang out, loud and clear.

"Ahhhh!" Chris shouted, covering his ears, "what _is_ that?"

"That's the heartbeat, Chris!" exclaimed Finn.

"That little baby sure has a loud heart," Chris remarked.

"Okay, Mom and Dad," said the technician, "do we want to know the sex?"

"Yes we do!" Rachel piped up.

Finn grinned with excitement. Of course a boy would be awesome-another member of the "Wolf Pack," as Finn often referred to himself, Chris, Blaine, and Blaine and Kurt's son, Manny. He could just see himself playing "Daddy Monster," with his two boys hanging off of him and giggling as they tried to wrestle him to the ground. But a little girl...his heart nearly exploded at the thought of it. A little girl who would look up at him with big brown eyes and think he was her hero.

Finn snapped himself back to the present as the tech stopped moving the scope and turned to the Hudsons.

"Well, I just wanted to check and make sure, but it looks pretty clear,"she said, "it's a girl!"

"Wooooooooo!" Finn cheered, jumping up and kissing Rachel on the cheek gleefully, "I mean, I would have been happy with a boy, too, of course-"

"Oh Finn," Rachel grinned wildly, "I know, honey. But I cannot believe we're going to have a daughter!"

"Congratulations!" the tech said, smiling at the beaming couple.

"Finn, this little girl is going to have you wrapped around her little finger, isn't she?" Rachel teased.

"I'm afraid so," Finn chuckled.

"Hey, Chris," said Rachel, shifting her attention to her son, "What do you think, buddy? You're awfully quiet over there. Are you excited about getting a sister?"

"Well," Chris began, frowning, "...is she going to like Star Wars and superheroes?" He looked hopefully at his mom and dad.

"I am sure that she will love anything you want to teach her about," said Rachel, kissing the top of his head.

"Well, okay then," Chris brightened, "we'll call her Princess Leia."

"Hmmm," Finn mused, "I don't know about the 'princess' part, but 'Leia' isn't half bad."

"I kind of like that," Rachel replied, "we'll see, Chris!"

Rachel leaned over to Finn and whispered, "it could be worse—at least he didn't say he wants to name her "Spidergirl."

"Hey, I forgot about that—that's a great name, Mom!" he exclaimed, patting Rachel's belly, "hellooooooooo in there, Spidergirl!"

Finn just shook his head, laughing, as he helped Rachel off of the exam table.

"You set yourself up for that one, Mommy," Finn said, throwing his arm around his wife's shoulder.

Rachel sighed, rubbing her belly.

"Come on, guys," she said, "Spidergirl wants some ice cream."


	11. Chapter 11

"Optimus Prime"

Finn and Blaine sat on a park bench, watching their sons play in the grass. After a busy morning of playing soccer and befriending squirrels at the park, Chris and Manny were searching for four-leaf clovers as they slurped Captain America popsicles.

"I'm so glad you don't mind," Blaine murmured, "we've got to get this kid some normal little boy clothes."

"No problem, dude," Finn said, "Look at him—even his play clothes are all...fancy."

"I know!" Blaine exclaimed, "I mean, he looks adorable—Kurt gets all his clothes at those hipster boutiques—but he needs to have some superhero T-shirts and light-up sneakers like the other kids, you know?"

Suddenly, Chris and Manny came running over to their dads, sporting matching blue-stained lips.

"Papa, what are we doing after this?" Manny asked, holding his sticky hands out for Blaine to wipe.

"Well, Little Man," Blaine began, "I know this is unusual for one of our Wolf Pack days, but we've got to go shopping."

"At the toy store?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Not today, Chris," replied Finn, "but this'll be fun. We've got to help Manny find some cool stuff to wear—maybe some Star Wars stuff or Toy Story? What do you think?"

"Okay, Dad," said Chris thoughtfully, "I think that's a good idea, because Manny told me he really likes my Lego Star Wars shirt with Obi Wan holding the lightsaber...and you know, I think we should go to Target, because that's where I got mine, and also they have a big toy section, so maybe we can go look at the toys when we're done, I know we're not buying anything, but just to_ look_-" 

"Okay, buddy," Finn laughed. That was Chris—always working the angles. He had to give him credit for being so diplomatic about it. He just might make a great lawyer someday.

Chris held Manny's hand as they walked toward Atlantic Ave. Finn and Blaine walked behind them, staying just far enough away to let them feel like big boys doing their own thing, which was very important to Chris lately. Finn and Blaine listened to the boys' conversation as they strolled.

"I'm going to be a big brother soon, you know, Manny," Chris said in a serious tone, "My mom is going to have a baby, and I have to be very responsible with it. It's in her belly now, so she eats lots of ice cream so the baby can have ice cream. I think the baby _really_ likes ice cream."

"I like ice cream," replied Manny.

"I know," Chris continued, "everyone likes ice cream, Manny. So, when I'm a big brother, I'm going to help my mom feed the baby ice cream. And I'm going to teach her which superheroes are Marvel and which ones are DC Comics, just like I taught you. And I'm going to take good care of her, like I take care of you."

"Because I'm the little cousin?" asked Manny.

"Yes, Manny," Chris confirmed, "and also because you're my best friend. We're best friends, Manny."

"Yeah," Manny said, nodding in agreement, "best friends."

Finn and Blaine exchanged grins as they eavesdropped.

"Aww, cute!" said Blaine, placing his hand over his heart.

"Yeah, they are," laughed Finn, "but notice how Chris has to be the boss all the time."

"Wow Finn, where do you think he would have gotten _that _from?" Blaine asked mockingly.

"Well, definitely not my wife," Finn snickered, "I mean, Rachel _never_ wants to be the boss. She's such a wallflower, you know? You really have to twist her arm to get her opinion on something."

"Yeah, totally," Blaine laughed, "my husband is the _same_ way!"

"Let's just say Chris has Rach's strong desire for leadership," Finn said diplomatically.

"And let's say Manny is taking after my tendency to just sit back and let the diva do his thing," said Blaine.

"Hey wait," joked Finn, "are you calling my son a diva?"

"Finn, he does know all the words to 'Don't Rain on my Parade," Blaine pointed out.

"True," said Finn, quickening his pace to catch up to Chris and Manny, who were getting a little too far ahead.

"Hey, you two," called Finn, "you still have to stay near us daddies, okay? Look, there's the store up ahead. How about a piggyback ride?"

"Yeah!" cried Chris and Manny in unison.

"I want Uncle Blaine to give me a ride!" shouted Chris.

"Uncle Finny!" sang Manny, reaching his arms up to Finn.

"Climb on, Manny!" said Finn, hoisting his nephew onto his shoulders, "You'll get a great view from up there!"

"Wow!" exclaimed Manny, "Uncle Finn is so much taller than you, Papa!"

Finn stifled a giggle as Blaine glared at him.

"What?" Finn laughed, "_I _didn't say it!"

"Let's just see who can get there faster, Sasquatch!" Blaine cried, taking off for the store entrance with Chris on his back.

"Hey, don't drop my kid!" Finn laughed, chasing after them.

Finn jogged through the automatic doors with Manny in tow just behind Blaine and Chris.

"Better luck next time, big guy," teased Blaine, lowering Chris back to the ground.

"Yeah, yeah," panted Finn, "Let's figure out where we need to go."

As they walked toward the boys' department, Chris began to instruct Manny on what Transformers they would pretend to be that afternoon.

"Okay, Manny," Chris began, "I'm going to be Optimus Prime, and you can be Megatron, okay?"

"But I don't want to be the be the bad guy this time," complained Manny, "why do you always get to be Optimus Prime?"

"Well," Chris reasoned, "I'm the big cousin, so I always get to be the hero."

"Well, I don't want to play then!" cried Manny.

Before Finn and Blaine could intervene, Manny's three-and-a-half year old temperament got the better of him as he shoved his cousin. Taken by surprise, Chris fell to the ground. Finn and Blaine exchanged alarmed glances as Chris jumped up with tears of embarrassment and anger suddenly spilling down his face.

"YOU'RE NOT MY COUSIN ANYMORE, MANNY!" he screamed, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE MY BEST FRIEND!"

"Okay, okay, Chris," whispered Finn as Blaine whisked Manny away to talk with him.

Finn picked up Chris, who buried his wet face in his father's flannel shirt.

"Listen, buddy," Finn said softly, "you don't yell at your cousin like that or say hurtful things, okay? You have to remember that Manny is younger than you, and he's still learning how to behave."

"But he pushed me, Daddy!" sobbed Chris, "he made me so mad!"

"Hey," Finn began, "in Star Wars, how did Luke keep himself from going to the Dark Side? What did Yoda teach him? Do you remember?"

Chris nodded silently.

"He taught Luke to not let his anger get the best of him, right?" Finn reminded him.

"Right," said Chris, sniffling.

"And you know what else we learned from Star Wars, buddy?" asked Finn, "we learned that it's not good to try to have power over everybody else. So you've got to learn to not be so bossy with Manny. Let him pick what character he wants to be, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Chris agreed.

"Chris?" Blaine said as he returned from the next aisle with his son, "Manny's got something he'd like to say to you."

"I'm sorry that I pushed you, Chris," Manny whispered, looking at the floor.

"I forgive you, Manny," said Chris sincerely, "I'm sorry that I said mean things. You're still my best friend. I love you."

"Hug it out, guys," Blaine instructed.

The two cousins hugged in their usual fashion, in which they squeezed each other so tightly that they lost their balance and fell into a pile of giggles on the floor.

"C'mon, you goofballs," laughed Finn, "I saw some awesome Green Lantern T-shirts over there."

Finn walked through the door of the apartment, large shopping bag in hand, eager to show Rachel what was inside. He found his adorable wife snuggled up on the couch in pajama pants and his old McKinley High football jersey, her hands resting on her growing belly. Her dark hair was in loose braids and her face was without a trace of makeup, just her own natural beauty and the radiant glow of impending motherhood shining through.

"Hey, Mama," he said softly, caressing her cheek, "how are you feeling?"

"Tired," she smiled sleepily, "where's Chris?"

"Sleeping over at Manny's," replied Finn, "they were playing so nicely after their reconciliation, following a very public argument at Target."

"Oh no!" Rachel groaned, "what happened?"

"Don't worry about it," laughed Finn, "they worked it out. Anyway, I wanted to show you what I bought at the store."

"Ooh, okay," said Rachel, her interest piqued. It wasn't every day that Finn Hudson went shopping.

She watched in amazement as Finn pulled one baby girl outfit after another out of the shopping bag.

"Okay, this one is so she can be like a little dancer, like you," he explained, holding up a pink sequined onesie with a fluffy lavender tutu attached.

"Awww!" she squealed.

"And this one is for football season," he said, displaying a tiny bright pink Jets' jersey, "...and this one says, 'Daddy's Girl,' so I _had_ to get it, but then I wanted to be fair, so I got this one that says 'Mommy's Little Angel'...now, this one says 'Little Sister,' and here's one that I really liked, because it's red, in case she doesn't want to wear pink all the time."

"This is unbelievable!" Rachel beamed at her husband, "you are too cute!"

"You really like them?" Finn grinned, "Wait until you see this one. I loved this one. It reminded me of one of the outfits you used to wear back in high school."

He proudly held up a little plaid skirt and bright yellow sweater with an owl on it.

"Ahhhhhhh!" screamed Rachel, "I _love_ it!"

"Wait until you see these," Finn smiled slyly, reaching into the bag. He held up a pair of the tiniest yellow knee socks the world had ever seen.

Rachel threw her arms around Finn's neck and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"I love you, baby," she said, tilting her forehead toward his.

"I love you too, babe," he replied, rubbing her belly, "and I plan on making good use of our alone time this evening...but first—I got some of those baby headbands with the giant flowers I have to show you."

Rachel could only throw her head back and laugh. Finn Hudson would never cease to amaze her.


	12. Chapter 12

"Faith"

"Oh my goodness, Finn, look at my feet!" groaned Rachel, climbing up onto the bed, "they look like balloons with toes!"

"I know babe," he said consolingly, placing pillows under her swollen legs, "you just stay here, okay? I'll go put Chris to bed."

"Thanks, hon," Rachel replied wearily, closing her eyes. Finn kissed her gently on the forehead and turned off the light before leaving the quiet bedroom.

Rachel let her head sink into her pillow, her whole body feeling long-awaited relief after an exhausting afternoon. She knew it wasn't the greatest idea to spend the day on her feet at a baseball game at seven months pregnant, but there was no way she was missing Chris's sixth birthday. For weeks he had chattered excitedly about how he didn't want a party, he just wanted to go to Yankee Stadium with her and Finn and Blaine and Kurt and Manny and eat two hot dogs and could he please get blue cotton candy, just this once. And when Finn brought the tickets home, he jumped up and down with such enthusiasm that he tripped over his Transformer, fell into a laundry basket, got up and continued to celebrate without missing a beat.

In spite of her fatigue, Rachel was so glad that she had insisted on going. There had been so many precious moments—seeing Chris speechless, for once, as Finn took him to meet some of the players during batting practice, Chris and Manny squealing over the way the cotton candy "disappeared" in their mouths, the whole Hudson-Hummel clan belting out "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. She let the memories of the day wash over her as she drifted off to sleep.

Rachel was awoken by the sound of her husband letting out a huge yawn as he collapsed on the bed beside her. She shifted onto her side to face him, reaching out to stroke his hair.

"Oh, hey babe," he whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's okay," she smiled, "I feel so much better just having gotten a little rest. Did Chris say he had a good birthday?"

"Yeah," Finn laughed, "he said, 'Daddy, next year, I want to have my birthday at the Yankees game again, but next time I'll try _pink_ cotton candy.'"

"Yup, that sounds about right," Rachel giggled.

Finn rolled onto his side, sliding a hand across his wife's belly. His touch was met with a ripple of movement by his daughter.

"Whoa, there, little one!" he laughed, "what's going on in there?"

"Oh my gosh!" Rachel giggled as they watched her stomach jump, "she's kicking like crazy!"

"I think she knows my voice, Rach," said Finn proudly, "she loves me already."

"Here, feel this," she said, taking Finn's hand and placing it on the side of her belly, "I think that's an elbow!"

"Ahhhhh, that is _so_ weird!" Finn squealed, "I forgot how awesome this part was!"

"She's getting big, Finn," Rachel began softly, "and she's going to need a name soon."

"I know," Finn agreed, "Chris is still pushing for Princess Leia...he's really not being very flexible about the 'Princess' part."

"Listen, babe," Rachel said, placing her small hand over his large one, "I've been thinking, and I really want you to name her."

"But that wouldn't be fair," Finn frowned, "Chris is already named after my dad, and me...if anyone should have more of a say in naming our baby girl, it should be you."

"Little girls and their daddies have a special bond," said Rachel, "look at how much you adore her already, and she isn't even born yet. You two are going to have such an amazing relationship, and I just think it would be so sweet for her to know that her daddy gave her her name."

Finn's crooked smile worked its way across his face as he imagined holding his baby girl in his arms and saying her name for the first time.

"Well," he began slowly, "I _have _been giving it a lot of thought lately. I was thinking that it would be cool if it had something to do with New York, because it's our home and where we got married and everything..."

"Oh, I like that," Rachel whispered.

"...but then I thought that it kind of seems like everyone's doing that now," Finn continued, "I think there were, like, three 'Brooklyn's in Chris's class last year."

"True," Rachel agreed, "it _would_ be nice for her to have a name that's a little bit different."

"How about a name that reminds us of _home _home, you know? Like where we came from, where we met?" Finn mused.

"I like that too," Rachel said, tracing Finn's jawline with her finger.

"But a lot of the options are kind of lame," Finn said, furrowing his brow, "I mean, we can't name her 'Ohio,' or 'Lima,' or 'McKinley'..."

"Certainly not," giggled Rachel, "but maybe something that reminds us of Glee Club?"

"Yeah!" Finn said, brightening, "like, maybe something from a song that we sang!"

"There's a lot to choose from," laughed Rachel, "is there one that stands out from the rest for you?"

Finn sat up and stared into the distance, his expression softening as he let his mind become flooded with memories.

"Regionals," he smiled, "sophomore year. I had just told you that I loved you, and then we went out on stage and sang, 'Faithfully', to each other. I remember singing that song to you and feeling like I had never felt before in my life. It was, like, a new beginning, of something that was so real and beautiful and passionate. I knew, in that moment, that the words we were singing were true—that we would always belong to each other. Even during the time we were broken up, I would go back to that moment and know that we would always find our way back to one another. And after we did, and all the challenges that we had to get through to make it here, together...I could still hear the song echoing in my head. It reminded me to always have faith in what we have, to have faith in _us._"

"Faith," repeated Rachel, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Faith," breathed Finn, his heart swelling, "that's her name. I just named our baby girl!"

"It's perfect, Finn," said Rachel, pulling his face toward hers, "it's perfect!"

"It is, isn't it?" he grinned, kissing her lips softly, "hey, I think it would sound really nice with your grandma's name for a middle name, don't you?"

"Faith Rose Hudson," she said dreamily, "it's beautiful."

"I love it," said Finn, hugging Rachel to him, "and tomorrow, we'll get Chris a goldfish he can name 'Princess Leia.'


	13. Chapter 13

"Show Time"

What a night it had been on duty. Finn could swear the craziest stuff always went down whenever there was a full moon. In his twelve-hour shift, he arrested a naked man running through Washington Square Park, broke up a fight between a drunk guy and a very convincing Tina Turner impersonator outside a drag club, and wrote three citations for public urination. At 7:30 am, it felt so good to crash onto the bed and finally get the chance to sleep off the exhaustion of the past evening. He settled into his side of the bed, leaving space for Rachel in case she wanted to lie down after she returned from dropping Chris off at camp.

He worried about her being out and about so close to her due date, but she was set on keeping Chris in his usual routine. Probably for the best, he thought to himself sleepily. If Chris was home with her all day, he'd be running her ragged having dance parties and playing Star Wars. Finn surrendered to his exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep on top of the covers.

Rachel giggled at the sight of him as she walked through the door of their bedroom. He was totally passed out, snoring like a chainsaw with his mouth wide open, looking strangely adorable in his plaid boxers and white undershirt with his black uniform socks still pulled up to his shins. She kissed him ever so lightly on the cheek and covered him with a blanket before curling up beside him. Sleep was hard to come by these days between her lower back pain and little Faith kicking up a storm all night long. She tried to make herself comfortable and get some rest, but after just a few minutes she was stirred from her light slumber by a familiar pain searing across her lower abdomen.

Having had contractions for the past few weeks, she calmly took a deep breath and glanced at the alarm clock as she waited for the pain to pass. She snuggled into Finn and attempted to fall back to sleep, trying not to get her hopes up that she was really in labor. Her excitement grew when another contraction came seven minutes later, and a third one seven minutes after that.

_This is it, _she thought to herself, rubbing her belly and sitting up in the bed. She looked nervously at her husband, snoring away. This was going to be interesting. It was nearly impossible to wake him after the night shift. When Chris was younger, he used to wait until Rachel wasn't looking and sneak into the bedroom during the day when Finn was resting up for work. Before she'd realize he was missing, he'd be jumping up and down on the bed and screaming with wild laughter over the fact that he'd tricked Mommy, and Finn still wouldn't wake up.

"Fi-inn," she sang, nudging him gently, "wake up, baby." He rolled over and continued to sleep soundly, completely unaware that his wife was trying to shake him awake. Clearly, this was going to take some more effort.

"FINN!" Rachel shouted, grabbing his shoulders, "LET'S GO! IT'S SHOW TIME!"

Finn blinked his eyes open and sat straight up, looking utterly startled.

"Mmmph," he blurted out, "You're not in the show anymore, Rach, you're too pregnant, remember?" He closed his eyes and crashed back down onto the pillow. He was back to sleep, just like that.

"FINN HUDSON!" Rachel cried, "I'M HAVING YOUR BABY. YOU NEED TO TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL. NOW!"

He shot back up again, this time looking less disoriented. He stared at Rachel for a moment, his drowsy brain still trying to process what was happening.

"It's show time?" he asked, finally speaking, "it's time?"

"Yes. They're seven minutes apart, babe, and we need to get a move on," she replied, "I'm going to call the doctor and tell her we're on our way to the hospital, you call us a cab and then call Kurt and have him pick Chris up from camp."

"Okay," Finn sputtered, jumping out of bed, "it's time! Let's go have a baby!" His fatigue turned to giddiness as he quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, grabbed Rachel's bag, and called a cab. He felt a rush of adrenaline as he dialed Kurt's number.

"Kurt," he said, "it's show time. Can you pick up Chris from camp and take him back to your place?"

"Ooooohhh!" Kurt squealed, "the little diva is about to arrive! I can't believe it! Yes, of course I'll get Chris. Call me as soon as you have news!"

Finn looked up as Rachel stood in the doorway with her hands on her belly, breathing steadily.

"You're so calm," he marveled, taking her hand.

"Yeah, well, I've done this before," she laughed, "I'm not so nervous this time. I don't think this is going to take very long—we're down to five minutes apart."

"Yikes," Finn gasped, "we'd better rock and roll."

He guided her quickly and carefully down the seemingly endless flights of stairs. _Why did they ever think a five-story walk-up was a good idea? _They finally made it out the doors of their building where the cab was waiting.

"Owwwwwww!" Rachel howled, wincing in pain, "big one!"

Finn grimaced, holding onto her waist as she doubled over. He hated seeing her in such pain and not being able to do anything about it. He held her tightly as she breathed deeply, squeezing her eyes shut. A few moments later, she popped right up and started climbing into the cab.

"It's gone," she said brightly, sitting down and smoothing out her clothes, "let's get going before the next one comes." Finn was dumbstruck as he slid into the backseat next to her. _How on earth, _he thought to himself as he stared at his very composed wife. Clearly, she was some kind of superwoman.

The cab ride was thankfully uneventful, save for a few more contractions which Rachel powered through by singing Barbra Streisand.

"I've driven a lot of pregnant ladies to the hospital," said the cab driver as Finn helped Rachel out of the car, "and they make a lot of noise. But I never heard any of them sing like you, sweetheart! Good luck!"

Finn pulled Rachel by the hand as she turned to blow a kiss to the driver.

"That was nice of him, wasn't it?" she said, "it's not every day you find a cab driver who appreciates—OWWWWWW!"

"Yes, Rach," Finn said hurriedly, "that was lovely of him, but this contraction is only three minutes after the last one, so you'll have to give him an autograph another time."

An orderly promptly arrived with a wheelchair and whisked Rachel up to the maternity floor, Finn striding quickly alongside. Once they arrived on the floor, a nurse checked them in and settled them into a room. Finn fidgeted nervously as he noticed Rachel becoming more and more uncomfortable. His heart ached as he watched her body tense with obvious pain as a nurse started her intravenous.

"It's okay, babe," he whispered, squeezing her hand tightly.

"When are they going to give her the epi—the epi—what are those called again?" he asked the nurse.

"The epidural?" she replied, surprised, "oh, we don't have time for that. These contractions are right on top of one another. Your baby will be here before get a chance to page an anesthesiologist."

"Don't worry, Finn," Rachel smiled through gritted teeth, "I can do this."

Finn nodded, taking in a deep breath. He tried not to let his face show how much he was freaking out inside. He just shook his head in wonder at Rachel's toughness. Here was his wife, in complete agony, reassuring _him _that everything would be okay.

"Just put on the music, okay?" she said, bracing herself for another contraction.

"Yeah! Yeah, of course!" he exclaimed, thrilled to be given a task to focus his attention on. He got her iPod ready as Rachel's doctor entered the room. In true Rachel style, she needed to have the perfect song for her baby girl's arrival.

"So we're about ready to have a baby, are we?" said the doctor, washing her hands at the sink.

Suddenly, Rachel sat straight up, her eyes wide with alarm.

"It's time!" she cried, "it's show time!"

Finn held onto his wife's hand as the world seemed to move in slow motion. A flurry of activity swirled in front of him as the doctor and two nurses crowded around Rachel. Finn could feel his heart beat through his entire body as he watched them prepare for his daughter's arrival.

"She's almost here, Rach!" he cried, "you can do this!"

And all of a sudden, there she was. Faith Rose Hudson, a tiny, perfect miracle being placed on her mother's chest. Finn felt hot tears stream down his face as he saw his wife, beaming with relief and amazement and pure love for this little angel, looking at her mama with eyes wide open.

"Oh my goodness!" Rachel exclaimed, laughing and crying at the same time, "she's beautiful!"

Finn felt like his heart could explode out of his chest. His baby girl. His amazing wife. His precious little boy at home. His life—_their _life—it was more than he could have conceived in his wildest dreams. He couldn't even begin to think of a word to describe the elation he was feeling. It was...what did his mother always say? Blessings_._ _All that we behold is full of blessings. _He smiled to himself, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"She _is _beautiful, Rachel," he whispered, kissing her as they watched the nurses care for their baby girl, "and _you_ were incredible."

"Ready for her, Dad?" asked one of the nurses as she cradled the baby, who was now wrapped in a receiving blanket and wearing a tiny knit hat. He grinned as the sound of Stevie Wonder crooning "Isn't She Lovely?" floated from Rachel's iPod.

Finn nodded, taking his daughter in his arms for the very first time, her warmth radiating through him.

"Faith," he whispered, "welcome to the world, baby girl."

He kissed her little forehead and wondered what more he could ever want out of life.


	14. Chapter 14

"The Girls"

"I can't get over it," gushed Leroy Berry, looking down at his granddaughter asleep in his arms, "that head of dark hair, those lips—she looks exactly like Rachel when she was a baby."

"I know!" squealed Hiram Berry as he scooted closer to his husband on the couch and motioned for him to hand the baby over, "she's gorgeous. Now let me have a turn, Leroy, you've had her since we finished eating!"

Carol Hummel chuckled at the sight of the two of them jostling for more grandparent time.

"You two better get your time in now, while Grampy Burt is busy with the big boys," she laughed. She gestured toward the doorway of Chris's room, where her husband was catching Chris and Manny as they took turns leaping off of Chris's bed.

The Hudson's modest two-bedroom apartment had never seen so much action. In addition to the four enamored grandparents alternately vying for baby time and riling up two already wound-up little boys, Finn and Blaine were having an animated debate about the Yankees' post-season chances while Kurt plugged his ears and sang an improvised aria about how he couldn't stand all the sports talk. Dishes from the vegan frittata and french toast casserole that Rachel had insisted on making for everyone, in spite of her fatigue, were piled in the sink and strewn all over the tiny kitchen. Crumpled pink tissue paper and discarded wrapping paper from gifts for the new baby littered the floor around the coffee table, where Rachel's dads had carefully laid out each outfit they had bought for Faith and discussed the occasions for which each could be worn.

In spite of the chaos, it was a happy scene, Finn thought to himself as he glanced around the room, until his eyes landed on Rachel. She was curled up on the couch next to her dads, pale and tired, her face looking as though she didn't know whether to cry or pass out from sheer exhaustion. Finn's worried eyes met the gaze of his mother, who had also noticed Rachel's weakened appearance. Carol gave a knowing nod to her son, indicating that she knew what to do.

"Burt!" she called to her husband, "bring the boys out here for a minute."

Burt emerged from Chris's room, carrying one wiggly little boy over each shoulder.

"Now I know that these two little guys have been dying to show you those dinosaur skeletons," Carol began, "so why don't all of the guys all take a little trip over to the museum and give Rachel and Faith and I a little girl time?"

"Dinosaurs!" screamed Chris and Manny, flailing their arms and legs as Burt put them down.

"Dinosaurs it is, then!" said Hiram, "we haven't been to the Museum of Natural History in years."

Blaine and Burt helped Chris and Manny get their shoes on as Hiram gingerly handed the baby off to Carol and Leroy grabbed his camera.

Finn sat down next to Rachel, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on top of her head.

"You okay, babe?" he whispered with concern.

"Just tired," she said hoarsely, sinking into his embrace, "it'll be nice to have a little peace and quiet."

"Okay," he said, kissing her forehead, "get some rest. I love you."

Finn turned to his mother and leaned over to kiss his baby girl, who was resting in her arms.

"Bye, Faithy," he said softly, "take care of Mommy."

"Don't worry," Carol said, patting Finn's cheek, "we'll be just fine."

Kurt strolled over to the couch and flopped down next to Rachel. Finn and Carol both stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Kurt said innocently, "I thought we were having girl time."

"Kurt," laughed Carol, "you know I love you, but get out."

"Fine, fine, fine," grumbled Kurt, getting up from the couch, "but there better not be any more sports talk."

"Yeah, yeah," Finn laughed as he nudged the guys out the door.

"Bye, Mommy! Bye, Grammy!" shouted Chris cheerfully, holding Manny's hand.

"Bye, Rachel," said Leroy, taking his daughter's hand and giving it a squeeze, "feel better, sweetie."

"We'll see you in a bit, honey," Hiram said, kissing the top of her head.

"Thank you, Carol," they both mouthed silently on their way out the door. They were relieved and comforted that Carol could be the motherly presence that their daughter needed right now.

The door to the apartment closed and there was silence for the first time in hours.

"They're gone!" Carol cheered jokingly, settling down on the couch with Faith.

Rachel leaned over and rested her head on her mother-in-law's shoulder.

"Nothing like a combination of out-of-whack hormones and sleep deprivation to make you feel good, huh?" Carol teased.

"Oh my goodness, Carol, I'm completely spent," Rachel lamented, "Faith has been getting up to feed every hour-and-a-half, and well, Finn can't exactly help, as he likes to point out."

"Oh yes," Carol laughed, "my son was just saying earlier, 'Mom, I wish I could help Rachel with the baby at night, but I just don't have any boobs'."

Rachel burst out in a fit of giggles at Carol's hilariously accurate imitation of Finn.

"And you're right about the hormones," Rachel agreed, "I keep crying over the most ridiculous things. This morning I couldn't find the sea salt for the frittata, and I started blubbering to Finn about how my life is spinning out of control. I guess it's been so long since I had Chris, I forgot about all this stuff."

"So much fun we women get to have, right?" Carol chuckled, putting one arm around her daughter-in-law and squeezing her shoulder, "poor Faith doesn't know what she's in for."

"Mmmm, c'mere, Faithy," cooed Rachel, holding out her arms as Carol handed her the baby, "she's perfect, isn't she?"

"That she is," smiled Carol, "our little angel."

Carol grinned warmly at the sight of her tiny granddaughter snuggling into her mommy's chest.

"Why don't you two rest here," suggested Carol, "while I get this place cleaned up."

"Oh my goodness, you're amazing," gushed Rachel, "I feel so anxious when everything is a mess."

"I know," Carol said, covering the girls with a blanket, "all moms do."

Rachel snuggled peacefully with her daughter as Carol tidied up the apartment. Carol hung the baby's new outfits in Finn and Rachel's bedroom closet and gathered up the torn wrapping paper, washed and dried the brunch dishes and wrapped up the leftovers. She straightened up Chris's toys and put on a pot of tea. A while later, Rachel awoke as Carol placed a cup of chamomile tea on the coffee table.

"Feel better?" Carol smiled as Rachel sat up, still clutching Faith to her chest.

"Much," she yawned, "I needed that."

"Good," said Carol, sitting down next to Rachel. She scooped up Faith so that Rachel could drink her tea. She looked thoughtfully at her daughter-in-law.

"Rachel," she began softly, "you know, you don't have to do it all. I don't want you putting all of this pressure on yourself to do everything perfectly—with your home, your children, your career. I know you're a superwoman, as Finn says, but you don't have to be all the time. You've got to give yourself a break, okay?"

"Okay," Rachel nodded, wiping tears forming at the corners of her eyes, "here I go again with the crying! I love you. It's no wonder Finn's so special, you're such a great mom, Carol."

"Great, yes," laughed Carol, "but not even close to perfect, and proud of it."

"You hear that, Faith?" joked Rachel, reaching over to pat the baby's back, "we're great—just the way we are."

Just then, the door squeaked open as Finn poked his head in, holding two pizza boxes.

"Hellooooo," he called in a falsetto voice, "is it still girl time?"

"Come on in, you goofball," giggled Rachel, "where's everybody else?"

"Still at the museum," Finn replied, "the grandpa's were all going to take everybody out to Carmine's afterward. I figured I'd come back and hang out with all of my girls."

"Awwww," said Rachel, reaching her arms around Finn's shoulders as he sat down and placed the pizza boxes on the table. She leaned against him and nuzzled his cheek, happy to have him beside her.

"That pizza smells wonderful," said Carol, "I'll get some paper plates."

Little Faith began to whimper as Carol handed her to Finn.

"Looks like somebody else is getting hungry too," laughed Rachel.

"Well, I'd like to help out," Finn grinned, "but you know-"

"We know," Carol and Rachel said in unison, "you don't have boobs."

"Well," Finn snickered, "nobody's perfect."


	15. Chapter 15

"The Park"

"Faaaaaith-y! Faaaaaaaith! Hi, baby! Goo-goo, ga-ga, la la la la la la!" Chris sang out loudly.

He was kneeling in front of his baby sister, who was napping peacefully in her bouncy chair as Rachel washed dishes. At the sound of his voice, her little eyelids fluttered open.

"Moooom! She's awake!" he shouted.

Rachel sighed as she set down the bowl she had been drying and knelt down next to her children.

"Well, she is _now_, Chris," Rachel whispered, "let's try to be quiet and rock her a little, maybe she'll go back to sleep."

"But I don't _want _her to go back to sleep!" Chris protested, "I want to play with her!"

Faith seemed to widen her eyes in agreement, her stare fixed upon her big brother.

"Oooh, look how she's looking at you, Chris!" said Rachel excitedly, "she loves her big brother!"

Chris grinned proudly. He held out his index fingers for Faith to curl her tiny ones around. He began swaying back and forth, moving her little hands along with him.

"Look, she's dancing, Mom!" he exclaimed as he started to sway a bit too vigorously, _"ooh, don't go breakin' my heart, I couldn't if I tried!"_

"Whoa there," Rachel smiled, gently clasping his hands, "I think that's just a _little _too much choreography for a four-week old, buddy. Love that song, though!"

Chris scrambled to his feet, turning his attention to the beautiful early-fall sunshine streaming through the windows.

"Mom, can we go outside?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Chris," Rachel frowned, "Daddy's at work, and I haven't really been out anywhere with the two of you guys by myself yet..."

Her voice trailed off. She had been fortunate enough to have her dads stay in town for a week right after the baby was born, along with Burt and Carol. Carol even stayed at their apartment with them an extra week after the other grandparents had to get back home. It had been so nice for Chris to have Pop-Pop and Granddad and Grampy Burt and Grammy to take him out and keep him entertained while she stayed home with Faith and Finn worked. But now everyone was back in Lima, Finn was working days, and Chris was a still a rambunctious six-year-old boy who had a hard time being confined indoors on a gorgeous Saturday morning. Rachel looked at Chris's pleading face and considered the long day she had ahead of her. Suddenly full of resolve, she took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay, Chris," she said bravely, "if you promise to be on your best behavior, we can go for a walk to the park. Just let me pack a diaper bag."

"Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Chris cheered, bouncing up and down, "I'll pack my stuff, too!"

"Chris, you don't need to-" Rachel stopped, realizing that Chris was already in his room, tossing toys into his backpack.

This was a new thing lately with him, wanting to pack his own bag whenever he went anywhere. _Not a battle worth fighting_, Rachel thought to herself as she began placing some of Faith's things in her pink canvas tote. She felt her confidence building as she readied herself. She began to think about how great it would feel to know that she could handle the two kids out in public, all by herself. And it would certainly be nice to get out of the apartment a little more and feel like a real human being again. And Faith could practice taking a bottle while they were out. _Yes, this was going to be good for everyone_.

"Okay, I've got diapers, wipes, blanket, bottle, formula, extra clothes, and a snack and juice box for you," said Rachel, "what have you got in your bag?"

"Superhero action figures, Star Wars comic book, three bouncy balls, and my Lego ninja battle cards," said Chris proudly, patting his backpack.

"Sounds good," Rachel replied, placing Faith in her baby carrier and strapping her in, "let's go!"

Rachel and Chris started down the many flights of stairs, Rachel trying to lug the baby carrier without accidentally whacking Chris in the head. He felt the need to stop unexpectedly every now and then to ask a question, causing Rachel to nearly lose her balance and go tumbling down the stairs, but they eventually reached the lobby in one piece.

Rachel pulled their stroller out from its storage place under the stairs and snapped the baby carrier into it. She smiled down at Faith, who looked content enough, snuggled beneath a pink flowered receiving blanket. Just her little face was sticking out, her pretty, dark eyes blinking calmly in the daylight. Chris peeked beneath the sunshade and tickled Faith's cheek with his finger.

"Faithyyyyyy!" he called, "you're such a cutie pie! I wanna give her a kiss, Mom!"

Chris put his weight on the stroller as he leaned over and clumsily kissed Faith's forehead, nearly toppling the whole thing over. Rachel gasped as she steadied the stroller and helped Chris get his balance. _At least his heart was in the right place_, she thought to herself, _he can't help it if he has his father's adorable klutziness_.

Rachel and Chris made their way down their tree-lined street toward Prospect Park West. Rachel took a deep breath and looked around her. There was nothing like autumn in New York. The leaves were just barely tinged with the red and the air was still warm, but with a soft September breeze. She grinned to herself, filling with joy at the thought of her many blessings. To be strolling to the park beneath a dazzling blue sky with her beautiful son and daughter was just like a dream. If only Finn was there, it'd be complete. But for the moment, she was proud to be doing it on her own. She felt awesome.

"Can I go on the swings, Mom?" asked Chris as they entered the park.

"Sure, sweetie!" she replied cheerfully, "looks like Faithy went back to sleep!"

Chris made a beeline across the grass towards the swingset as Rachel lagged behind pushing the stroller over the uneven ground, trying not to jostle Faith too much.

"Chris, wait up!" she called, "that's too far from Mommy!"

"Sorry, Mom!" he cried, already climbing onto a swing, "watch this!"

Wiping sweat from her forehead, Rachel sat down on a bench across from Chris's swing. Chris gleefully pumped his little legs, soaring higher and higher into the sky. Rachel was getting a little nervous.

"That's a little bit too high, Chris," Rachel warned anxiously, "I need you to slow down. I've got the baby here, and what am I going to do if you get hurt?" 

"I won't get hurt, Mom!" Chris shouted, "and besides, I need to go really high to show you the trick Justin taught me at school!"

Before Rachel could respond, Chris had already jumped off the swing and was flying through the air.

"Geronimo!" Chris yelled wildly. His enthusiasm quickly turned to tears as he landed hard on his knees in the mulch.

"MOMMY!" Chris screamed, hugging his right knee to his chest, "it hurts!"

Rachel darted quickly over to where Chris had crumpled himself up on the ground. _Just a scrape,_ she thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Okay, honey, shhhh," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Chris, "it's just a little cut. We'll get you all cleaned up."

_Super Mommy to the rescue_, Rachel thought to herself, feeling satisfied that she remembered to tuck her pocket-sized first aid kit into her bag.

"You can't just jump off the swing like that, Chris," she said as she carefully wiped his cut and placed a Batman Band-Aid over it, "that's really dangerous. No more of that, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Mommy," said Chris, wiping his tears and looking suddenly alarmed.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" he exclaimed, taking off for the restroom.

"Wait, Chris!" Rachel found herself calling, once again as she ran to grab the stroller and follow him.

Chris was not quite accustomed to his mother not being able to keep up with him. Meanwhile, Faith was beginning to whimper a little as they made their way to the bathroom. _Great, _Rachel thought to herself, shuddering, _now I have to take the baby into a germ-infested public restroom. _She ushered Chris into the ladies' room, struggling to cram the stroller inside. Faith began working up to a full-fledged cry and was flat-out screaming by the time Chris emerged from the stall several minutes later. Several women stared at her as Chris took his time washing his hands and playing games with the hand dryer. _And now I have a screaming baby in a germ-infested public restroom,_ she frowned to herself. She felt her heart rate begin to quicken as she scanned the immediate area for a bench where she could feed Faith.

"C'mon, Chris," she said, breathlessly, "let's go sit down over there so I can feed the baby. You can have your snack."

"It's okay, it's okay, baby girl!" Rachel sang out anxiously over the sound of Faith's cries. She scrambled frantically to get Chris settled with his crackers and juice, disassemble a bottle, measure out powdered formula, and put it back together without dropping everything all over the ground. Finally managing to extract her flailing daughter from her seat straps, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed silently that Faith would willingly take the bottle.

Rachel felt her entire body relax as Faith began to drink. _There_, she thought to herself happily, _crisis averted. _Finn would be so excited that Faith was taking the bottle, he would finally get to do a whole feeding himself. He had been wanting to help so badly, and she couldn't wait to watch him with her. She took a deep breath and smiled to herself, thinking about her sweet husband with his little girl. She glanced down at Chris contentedly munching his snack beside her, and her peaceful feelings returned.

Chris finished his snack and began to unpack some of his toys to play with. Rachel laughed to herself as he made his action figures hold a dance-off.

"Hey Mom, can I feed her?" Chris asked, putting his toys down.

"Sure, honey," Rachel said, "here, hold the bottle."

"Yummy-yummy milky, Faithy!" Chris giggled, "gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp!"

All of a sudden, Chris let go of the bottle and leaped off of the bench.

"My favorite ninja battle card!" he exclaimed in horror, chasing it as it blew several feet away.

"Chris, hold on!" Rachel cried as she watched him chase the card further and further away.

Her heart began to pound as he was suddenly fifty yards away and still running after that damn thing. He had no idea how far he he was getting from her.

"_CHRIS!_!" she shouted, panic-stricken. How was she supposed to run after him with Faith across her lap, drinking a bottle? But now he was more than a football field away and she had no choice. Out of sheer desperation, she scooped up Faith and broke out into a full sprint, cradling the baby to her chest. She saw people staring and pointing at her as she bolted across the park, but all she cared about was making sure Chris was safe. At last, she caught up with him, panting.

"CHRISTOPHER. FINNEGAN. HUDSON!" she scolded, "do you have any idea how far away you were from me? I had to come and chase you down _with_ Faith! Chris, what if something happened to you? You need to listen, young man!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Chris mumbled sheepishly, "I didn't know. I just didn't want to lose my card."

"Well, I just don't want to lose _you,_ Chris," she said, ruffling his hair, "let's just go home, okay?"

Exhausted and emotionally drained, Rachel pushed the stroller home slowly with Chris in tow. After getting everyone up the stairs, she settled Faith down for a nap and shared a lunch of vegan macaroni and cheese and apple slices with Chris. The morning's excitement apparently haven taken its toll on him, he fell asleep on the couch watching one of his DVDs from the library.

Rachel was slumped on the couch beside Chris when Finn walked in a while later.

"You're home early!" Rachel said, sitting up.

"Nope, I was on the three-to-three schedule today, babe," Finn grinned, "you didn't know I'd been gone since early this morning?"

"I guess I was so tired from getting up with Faith, I didn't even hear you," she sighed.

"You okay?" Finn asked, concerned.

"I need a hug," she blurted out, suddenly clasping her arms around Finn's waist and burying her head in his chest. She felt the tears spill over as she began to sniffle.

"Hey," he said softly, holding her close to him and gently rubbing her back, "what's wrong, babe?"

"I tried to take Chris and Faith out to the park by myself," she said tearfully, "and it was horrible. Chris got hurt because he jumped off the swing and I probably wasn't watching him closely enough because I had the baby and then I had to bring bring Faith into the disgusting park bathroom and she was screaming her head off and Chris kept getting too far away from me and then he got really far away from me and I was so scared, Finn! I felt completely out of control! I almost lost him! I'm a mess, Finn, I can't do this!"

"Shhh," Finn whispered consolingly, "Rach, it's okay, baby. Everybody's fine. It's going to take a while to get used to being out with the two of them. It's going to take time to figure this out, but you'll do it—_we'll _do it, okay?"

"I—I just want to be good at this, Finn," Rachel sniffed, "I could live with myself if I wasn't the best singer or the best actress, but I _can't_ fail at motherhood, Finn. I can't."

"Rachel," he whispered, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes, "look at me, honey."

She looked back at him sadly, biting her lip.

"Rachel, you are an _incredible_ mother," Finn said earnestly, "you will _never_ fail at this. You are kind and caring and passionate and wonderful, and our kids are _lucky_ to have you for a mom. Okay?"

She nodded, snuggling into his chest as he hugged her tightly. _Thank God for him,_ she thought to herself, squeezing him as hard as she could. Finn had always believed in her when it came to her career and her talent. But as she realized in that moment, he also believed in her in the ways that truly mattered most. And just like that, her heart was once again filled with joy at the thought of her many blessings.


	16. Chapter 16

"**Questions"**

"Hey, Manny!" Chris whispered, "watch this!"

Chris and Manny were sprawled out on a blanket playing with Faith, who was all smiles as she gazed up at her big brother and cousin. Chris giggled impishly as he took off one of Faith's tiny socks and placed it on top of her head. Manny covered his mouth with his hands and toppled over with laughter. Faith just kept on grinning sweetly, her wide eyes darting back and forth between the two silly boys. Finn turned around at the sound of their mischievous laughter.

"Chris!" Finn scolded, "can you NOT put stuff on your sister's head?"

"But she's smiling!" Chris protested, giggling.

"Yeah, but still, Chris," said Finn, picking Chris up and tickling him, "how would you like it, buddy? How about if I put some of my smelly socks on your head? What do you think?"

"Noooooooooooooo!" howled Chris, laughing hysterically as Finn carried him over his shoulder, "no more tickling! Let's wrestle!"

"_You?_" Finn asked in his best monster voice as he put Chris down and sat on the floor, "_you_ want to wrestle _me? _BUT I'M A GIANT T-REX!"

"GET HIM!" Chris shouted as he and Manny pounced on Finn.

"GRRRRRRRRRR!" Finn growled, swaying in slow motion as Manny and Chris clung to him, "NOOOOOOO! Help, Mommy T-Rex!"

"Well, I hope somebody's protecting the baby from all of these dinosaurs!" said Rachel, scooping up Faith.

Finn collapsed on the floor, the two boys falling on top of him.

"Man, you guys wore me out," yawned Finn, rolling over and pretending to go to sleep.

"Up and at 'em, Daddy-saurus," laughed Rachel, "we've got to get moving. I told Kurt we wouldn't have Manny home too late, and I'm pretty sure you promised these two monsters ice cream before this playdate is over."

"Alright, you two," said Finn, slowly getting up, "both of you need to use the bathroom before we go."

"Nooooo!" both boys whined simultaneously, "we don't have to go!"

"Manny and Chris," Finn began, "you both hate using the bathroom at the ice cream place because you're afraid of the automatic flushing toilet. I will not be interrupted in the middle of my triple fudge brownie sundae to race one of you three blocks away and up five flights of stairs so you can pee without fear of a surprise flush."

"You guys should know better than to mess with him and his food," Rachel giggled, "but not to worry. I have sticky notes in my purse that I can use to cover up the sensor. No surprise flushes."

"You're a genius, babe," Finn sighed, kissing his wife on the cheek, "Chris, you _do _know you have the best mom ever, right?"

"Yeah," Chris conceded, "Mommy's the best...except for Jeffrey's mom, because she lets him watch the shows on the Cartoon Network."

"Yes,and that's why Jeffrey's got a mouth like a truck driver," Rachel muttered.

"Shhh!" said Finn, snickering, "you know he's totally going to repeat that."

Heading down to the ice cream parlor, Chris protectively insisted that Manny hold his hand and walk on the side of him farthest from the street. Finn pushed Faith in her stroller as Rachel walked beside him, her arm linked in his.

Faith was tucked under a blanket, her little face smiling up at her mom and dad.

"Hi, beautiful!" Finn cooed, bending down close to Faith, "who's my baby girl?"

Faith's grin grew wider as Finn spoke to her, her eyes following his every move.

"You love your daddy, don't you, Faithy?" he whispered, "look, Rach, look how she's looking at me!"

"Oh, Faith," Rachel sighed, smiling, "how is it that you already have your father wrapped around your little finger?"

"Well, I think she's learning from the best," Finn joked, "you've had that skill mastered for years."

The ice cream parlor was bustling with families out for an early Saturday evening treat. There was quite a line forming, but that didn't stop Chris and Manny from taking their time hemming and hawing about what kind of ice cream to get.

"Okay, I want blue cotton candy with rainbow sprinkles, please," Chris said, "no, wait-birthday cake with chocolate sprinkles and gummy bears. No, blue cotton candy with gummy bears. Yeah."

"Me too," said Manny, who always got the same thing as his cousin.

"What is it about being a kid that makes you seek out the foods with the highest possible concentration of artificial coloring?" Rachel pondered.

"Oh, I don't know," Finn grinned sheepishly, taking his brownie sundae covered with Sour Patch Kids from the counterperson.

"Ugh, Finn, that is just_ gross,_" Rachel groaned, picking up her small plastic cup of raspberry sorbet.

"Yeah, I just get it that way so you won't steal any of it," Finn laughed as he paid for the ice cream.

"Yeah, no worries there," Rachel assured him as they pulled four chairs around a small round table.

Finn and Rachel sighed happily, basking in the sweet silence of children eating ice cream. It was one of the only times Chris was ever quiet. Manny was normally a lot less talkative than his cousin, but Kurt had warned Rachel that he had recently entered the "why?" phase, so Rachel wasn't completely caught off-guard when he began peppering his aunt and uncle with random questions.

"Uncle Finn," Manny mused, "why do they make cotton candy ice cream blue?"

"Well," Finn said, squinting in thought, "I guess because they want to make it look like real cotton candy."

"Oh," said Manny, "why is real cotton candy blue?"

"Well," Finn replied, "it's not always blue, it's different colors."

"Why?" Manny asked.

"Because," Finn ventured, "...because I guess they want to make it lots of fun colors so that kids will want to try it?"

"Oh," said Manny, "Aunt Rachel, why do I have two daddies and no mommy and Chris has one daddy and one mommy?"

Rachel nearly choked on her sorbet. She did not see that one coming.

"Well," Rachel began, quickly gathering her wits, "well, Manny, families are like...ice cream! They can come in all different kinds. Some have things that others don't...like, Uncle Finn's ice cream has chocolate chips, and mine doesn't, but you know what? They're both delicious. It's the same way with families, honey. Some have two dads, some have two moms, some have one parent...but they're all special."

"Okay," said Manny, "why do only boys go to the bathroom standing up?"

Finn and Rachel looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"That one's all you, Uncle Finn," Rachel giggled.

After everyone finished scraping the bottom of their bowls, the Hudsons walked Manny home to his dads.

"Hey, handsome!" Kurt exclaimed as Manny lept into his arms, "did you have a good time?"

"Yeah!" Manny cried, hugging his father, "I did, Papa!"

"That's some case of the "why's" he's got there, bro," laughed Finn, "good thing your sister-in-law's on top of her game."

The Hudsons made their way back to their own apartment, Finn carrying a weary Chris on his shoulders as Rachel pushed a slumbering Faith in her stroller.

"I'm going to get Faith in her jammies and then feed her," said Rachel as they walked in the door, "will you get Chris ready for bed?"

"No problem," said Finn, "don't put Faith down for the night before I kiss her goodnight, okay?"

"Of course," Rachel replied adoringly, "you're so cute."

"I know," Finn shrugged, grinning.

Finn nudged Chris along with his bedtime routine of tub, pajamas, and teeth brushing before flopping down on Chris's Star Wars bed. Chris climbed up beside his father and looked at him thoughtfully. Finn could tell that he had something on his mind.

"Dad?" Chris began, "you know how Manny has two daddies and I have one daddy?"

"Yeah," Finn responded, wondering where this discussion was headed.

"Did you not have a daddy when you were a little boy?" Chris asked quietly.

"Well," Finn said, ruffling Chris's hair, "my daddy went to heaven when I was a baby, and Grammy didn't marry Burt until I was a big boy. So, no, I didn't really have a daddy around when I was a little boy."

"That's so sad," said Chris, his eyes filling with tears.

"Hey," Finn whispered softly, hugging his son to his chest, "it's okay, buddy. Grammy Carol was an awesome mommy, and she took good care of me. She was like a mommy _and_ a daddy. That's how special your Grammy is. And when Grammy married Grampy Burt, he became like a dad to me, and it was the best thing ever, okay?"

"Do you miss your daddy ever?" Chris sniffled.

"I do wish that I got to know him, and I think about him all the time," Finn nodded, "but you know what? I know that he's looking down at me from heaven, and he is so happy that I have you and Mommy and Faith. Okay, honey?"

"Yeah," Chris nodded, still looking upset, "Daddy, are you going to go to heaven?"

"I'm not going anywhere, buddy," Finn said reassuringly, "I am going to be right here with you. I'm going to be here to tell you to eat your vegetables and clean your room and to embarrass you when you're a teenager and watch you graduate college and one day I will be an old man and you'll have to take care of _me_ and feed me mush when I have no teeth, okay?"

Chris recoiled in horror.

"_You're not going to have any teeth?"_ he exclaimed, repulsed.

"Oh, Chris," Finn laughed, "I'm joking, buddy. You okay, now?"

Chris nodded, snuggling down onto his bed.

"I love you, buddy," Finn said, kissing Chris on the cheek.

"Love you too, Dad," said Chris, yawning.

Finn pulled the covers up to Chris's chin and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Finn stopped for a moment and looked up towards heaven.

"_Love you too, Dad,"_ Finn whispered, "_love you too."_


	17. Chapter 17

"Finn?" Rachel mumbled as she rubbed her eyes, shuffling out of the bedroom in her slippers. Her eyes widened as she stumbled upon the sight of her baby girl sitting happily in her high chair, her hands and face covered in oatmeal as Finn hovered next to her, spoon in hand.

"Surprise!" he grinned excitedly, wiping oatmeal off the side of his own face, "you said that the doctor said she was ready to start cereal, so we decided to let you sleep in this morning and give it a whirl. She loves it!"

"Um, did you throw it at her?" Rachel giggled, glancing at the globs of oatmeal dripping from the tray of Faith's high chair.

"Yeah, we, uh, kind of made a little bit of a mess," he admitted, scratching his head, "but don't worry, I'll clean it all up before we go."

"Where are you going?" Rachel yawned, wetting a paper towel at the sink to wipe Faith's sticky cheeks.

"Me and my little girl are going out on the town this morning," Finn said proudly, "look, she's all dressed!"

Rachel tried to stifle her laughter as Finn removed the tray of Faith's high chair to show off the outfit he had put on her. He had dressed her in a pink polka-dotted onesie that said, "Daddy's Girl," in sparkly black letters, rainbow-striped tights, her glittery purple tutu from Uncle Kurt, and teeny-tiny blue Converse sneakers that had once belonged to Chris.

"Wow," Rachel giggled, "just...wow."

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Finn smirked, "oh, I almost forgot!"

He grabbed a headband with a gigantic yellow flower off of the kitchen table and carefully slid it onto her little head. Faith gave her daddy an adoring smile as he smoothed out her wisps of dark hair.

"Adorable," Rachel nodded convincingly. He was much too happy with himself for her to burst his bubble by telling him that their daughter looked like one of the kids from "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

"See? I did good!" he beamed, "I've got my diaper bag all ready."

She smiled as he pointed to the familiar army-green messenger bag sitting near the door, stuffed with mysterious objects. He had insisted on getting his own masculine diaper bag when Chris was a toddler so he wouldn't have to been seen carrying Rachel's flowered tote.

"You want me to check and make sure you have everything you need in there?" she asked.

"Are you kidding? I've got it all covered," Finn chuckled, lifting Faith into his arms, "Daddy is on the ball today. We're ready to go hit the baby swings, then to the pond to see some duckies."

"Okay," Rachel replied, "but make sure you have a blanket to stuff around her in the swing so she doesn't flop around too much. And not too high, okay?"

"Relax, babe," he laughed, kissing her on the forehead, "we're good. Chris is still sleeping, he's exhausted from staying up late for movie night last night. Go back to bed and get some rest."

"I love you," she said, resting her head on his chest so that she was facing her daughter, "and I love _you, _little pumpkin. You take care of our guy, okay?"

Faith smiled brightly at her mother, reaching her tiny hand out to touch her face.

"Are you trying to get me, little girl?" teased Rachel, "Mommy's going to eat you all up! Nomnomnomnomnom!"

Faith let out a giggle as Rachel nuzzled her cheek.

"Make sure you bundle her up, babe," she said, handing Finn a tiny pink fleece coat, "it's getting cold out there."

"Got it," Finn replied, leaning in for one more kiss from his wife, "Daddy and Faithy—out!"

Finn was feeling great as he walked out in the brisk morning air, one hand pushing the stroller and the other snapping a photo of Faith to send to his mom.

"Smile for Grammy, Faithy!" he sang.

"Goooooooooooooo," Faith gurgled happily.

Arriving at his favorite diner, Finn parked the stroller outside and scooped up Faith. He was only halfway through the door before her New York "Nana" snatched her right out of his arms.

"There's my baby girl!" squealed Eileen excitedly in her thick Brooklyn accent, "how's my favorite little customer?"

"Hey, Eileen," Finn greeted her warmly, "we're having a daddy-daughter outing this morning, we decided to let Rach and the Tasmanian Devil sleep in."

"Aww, Faithy, your daddy's a good guy, isn't he?" cooed Eileen. She stopped suddenly as she glanced down at Faith's outfit.

"Good Lord, Finn, what the hell is this poor baby wearing?" she gasped.

"What?" Finn frowned, "She looks cute! Rachel said I did a good job."

"That's because she didn't want to hurt your feelings," Eileen chuckled, "this child looks like she's ready for Halloween."

"Faith, you tell Nana Eileen that you are a trendsetter, okay?" Finn scoffed, taking Faith back into his arms.

"You're perfect, darling, no matter what ridiculous get-up your daddy dresses you in," Eileen laughed, squeezing Faith's rosy cheeks, "you two have a seat over there, I'll tell Stella to bring you your usual."

Finn enjoyed breakfast with his daughter, who sat contentedly in his lap as he ate his pancakes, trying his best not to drip any syrup on her little head. Afterward, he bundled Faith back into her stroller and began heading towards the park. It was cold, he thought to himself, but she'd be fine as long as they didn't stay too long. He was feeling kind of like a pretty cool dad, all out on his own with his baby girl, who seemed happy and relaxed. His mind began to wander as he thought about how impressed Rachel would be with his successful outing.

As they approached the playground and Finn began to lift Faith into the swing, he suddenly realized why she seemed so happy and relaxed.

"Faith," he whispered in horror, "_did you poop_?"

Faith smiled innocently as Finn held her an arm's length away from himself and made a beeline for the bathroom.

"_Faith!" _he fretted, "how could you do this to Daddy?"

"Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," babbled Faith in reply.

_Okay, no big deal,_ Finn said to himself, _I'll just leave the stroller here, I've got my diaper bag, and they have those family bathrooms now with the changing thingies._ _I can totally handle this. _His confidence quickly vanished as he placed Faith down and began to change her. He gasped in terror at what he discovered. _It was everywhere. The skirt, the tights, the onesie—everywhere. _Panicked, he began rifling through his diaper bag. Diapers, wipes, stuffed animals, baby sunglasses, beef jerky in case he got hungry,_ but no extra clothes._

Finn stood frozen in fear as he began to rack his brain for solutions. It was way too cold to take her home in a diaper. He couldn't put the poop clothes back on her. He hadn't even worn a jacket he could wrap her in, because it bunched up too much under the strap of his awesome-looking messenger bag. Out of options, he reached into his pocket and dialed his phone.

"Rach?" he said weakly, "I, uh, have kind of an emergency."

Rachel giggled uncontrollably, gasping for air for a few moments before she was able to explain to Chris what was so funny.

"Chris, honey," she snorted, "get dressed. Your father and Faith are stranded in the family bathroom at the park. Daddy says Faith sort of exploded and he didn't bring her any extra clothes."

Being a typical six-year-old boy, Chris found any situation involving bodily functions terribly amusing. On the way to the park, he stopped to tell several of their neighbors that he and Mommy were "on a mission to rescue Daddy and Faith from the poop explosion in the bathroom at the park."

Rachel and Chris walked into the park restroom to find a dejected-looking Finn cradling a giggly, diaper-clad Faith to his chest.

"Never fear, citizens," shouted Chris, "the Dynamic Duo is here to save you!"

"Aw, what's the matter, babe?" asked Rachel sympathetically, ruffling Finn's hair.

"I'm so mad at myself," Finn blurted out sullenly, "I wanted to show you how I could handle Faith all by myself. I was always too nervous to take Chris out without you when he was this little. I really thought I had it together this time."

"Finn, don't be so hard on yourself," Rachel comforted him, "do you know how many times _I_ have been caught unprepared in these types of situations? Didn't Chris and I ever tell you about the time I forgot to bring extra pants on a trip to the store while he was still potty training? I had to carry him home with the shawl I was wearing wrapped around his waist like a skirt!"

"Really?" Finn asked skeptically.

"Really," Rachel replied, pulling a new onesie over Faith's head, "you're a great dad, and you can _totally _handle our baby by yourself."

"Thanks, babe," he smiled, "but I think the outfit I had on her is pretty much ruined."

"You know, I'm really not that upset," Rachel laughed.

"Yeah, Dad," Chris smirked, "those are some really crazy-looking clothes you put on her."

"Okay, Fashion Police," laughed Finn, "let's see if I ever let the two of you sleep in again."


	18. Chapter 18

Finn staggered through the front door of the Hummel-Hudson residence, a snoring Chris slumped over his shoulder. Rachel shuffled in behind him, exhausted, lugging Faith's baby carrier alongside. Leaving the city at bedtime so the kids would sleep during the ten-hour drive to Lima seemed like such a great idea at the time. But at 7:30 am on Thanksgiving morning, Finn and Rachel could barely see straight.

Suddenly, the smell of turkey and a familiar squeal of excitement snapped them out of their sleep-deprived fog.

"Oooooh, my babies! My babies are here!" cried Carol, bubbling over with the kind of joy only grandchildren can ignite.

She motioned for Finn to pass his slumbering son over to her.

"Grammy?" Chris mumbled sleepily, as Carol scooped him into her arms.

"Oooh, my big guy!" Carol exclaimed, "Grammy can hardly lift you anymore, baby! You'll be as tall as your daddy soon!"

Chris giggled as he hugged Carol tightly.

"I missed you, Grammy!" he said, suddenly wide awake.

"I missed you too, pumpkin!" she replied, "hey, Grampy Burt is still sleeping. Why don't you go in and wake him up, he'll be so happy to see you!"

"Okay!" Chris cried, taking off for the bedroom, "I'm going to tickle him!"

"And where's my baby girl?" cooed Carol, peeking in at Faith, asleep in in her carrier. Faith began to stir a little as Carol stroked her dark curls.

"Oops, she's awake! Now I have to take her out! Too bad!" sang Carol happily.

Finn shook his head, laughing, as Carol lifted a sleepy Faith out of her car seat.

"Grammy's little angel!" she exclaimed as a little smile spread across her granddaughter's face, "you look just like your mommy!"

Just then, Burt walked into the room in his flannel pajamas, carrying Chris upside down as he wriggled and giggled.

"What's the big idea, sending the Tasmanian Devil in there to wake me up?" he laughed.

"We thought you'd get a kick out of that," chuckled Carol.

"You bet I did!" said Burt, hoisting Chris over his shoulders, "I can't wait to toss the ole' pigskin around with this guy—ooh, sorry, Rachel."

"It's okay, Burt," Rachel laughed, hugging her father-in-law, "don't worry about it."

"Actually, Rach had to give up the whole vegan thing, and she's been on a carnivorous rampage ever since. We're probably going to have to wrestle her for the dark meat this year!" teased Finn.

"Oh, really, hon?" Carol asked, "I've got the tofu-turkey all set for you, if you want."

"That's so kind of you, Mom," Rachel said graciously, "your son is exaggerating a bit. I _am _still a vegetarian, but I just couldn't keep up the vegan diet with all the craziness of taking care of Chris and the baby all day and making different meals for everyone and trying to get my protein for nursing Faith. I will be glad to partake of your delicious tofurkey, you always do such a great job with it."

"Yeah, yeah, don't let her fool you," Finn said, poking Rachel in the ribs, "in the middle of the night we'll find her in front of the refrigerator with a turkey leg in each hand."

He laughed as Rachel nudged him hard, nearly making him lose his balance. He was suddenly reminded of how groggy his entire body felt after driving through the night.

"Listen, you two," Carol began, "you guys look beat. Go upstairs and get some sleep while Grampy and I look after Chris and the baby."

"I think those are the best words I've ever heard in my life," Rachel sighed as she and Finn shuffled up the stairs.

Finn opened the door to his old bedroom, which was now decorated with a yellow floral theme. Finn had to remove at least 15 different color-coordinated decorative pillows before he could pull down the bedspread for he and Rachel.

"Kurt has been here," he scoffed, "only he could be responsible for this extreme overkill of bedding accessories."

"At least the bed's bigger," Rachel giggled, stretching out across the queen-sized mattress.

"Oh, the things that these walls have seen," Finn mused, laughing.

"Don't even think about trying anything, Hudson," she warned, grinning, "I can't even keep my eyes open."

"I'll behave," he replied, "come here, baby."

He put his arm around her as she lay her head on his chest and nuzzled into him. In ten seconds, they were both blissfully asleep. The warmth of snuggling together under blankets on the chilly morning, the relief of rest after exhaustion, and the peace of knowing their children were being joyfully entertained while they slept were just a few of the things they felt thankful for.

When they woke and made their way downstairs, they found everyone piled on one of the couches, watching the Macy's parade on TV.

"Look, Mom and Dad, it's home!" Chris cried, pointing at the Broadway performers singing and dancing in Herald Square, "Mommy, remember when you did that?"

"Yes, I do, Chris!" Rachel laughed, recalling her performance with the cast of Mary Poppins in the parade a few years back, "I think that was the coldest Thanksgiving on record. I had long-johns on underneath my costume!"

Suddenly, the front door opened as an excited little boy bounded in, followed by his bleary-eyed fathers.

"MANNY!" Chris screamed, making a mad dash for his cousin. The two boys hugged and fell to the floor, squealing with laughter as if they hadn't just seen each other a few days before back home.

"Hey, family!" called Kurt as Carol and Burt jumped up to greet them.

"Alright!" Burt said, scooping up Manny, "the whole gang, all together. Doesn't get any better than this, does it, kiddo?"

"Well, it _might _be if we were all at the parade instead of watching it on TV," joked Kurt, "_but_ I am beyond excited that you guys are all coming to New York for Christmas this year. And, seeing you people is well worth the terrifying turbulent flight on the tiny airship of doom we took to get here."

"Not that he's being dramatic or anything," laughed Blaine, kissing Carol on the cheek.

"Some things never change," Burt said, slapping his son on the back.

"Okay," said Kurt, taking charge, "I'm going to change and get this airplane stench off of me, then Rachel, Carol and I will begin churning out some pies that will make Paula Deen weep bitter, bitter tears of jealousy while Dad, Blaine, and Finn take the boys outside to tackle each other. I'll be back in five."

"Sounds like a plan," Finn agreed, "what kind of pies are you guys making?"

"Pumpkin, apple, and Kurt's Autumn Harvest Chiffon Surprise," replied Kurt.

"Don't worry, babe," Rachel smiled, noting Finn's slight frown, "I'll make you your sweet potato pie with the cinnamon crumbly stuff on top. We can eat that one with my dads when we stop over at my aunt's later."

"You're the best," he grinned, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead.

"Disgusting," Kurt rolled his eyes, "get out."

The boys headed out into the backyard as the pie production commenced. Burt, Finn, and Blaine began tossing a football back and forth as Chris and Manny made a direct beeline for a pile of leaves Burt had raked.

"HULK SMASH!" shouted Chris, jumping on top of Manny.

"FEEL THE POWER OF THOR!" yelled Manny, bursting out of the leaf pile.

"So much for the ole' pigskin," Burt said, nodding at the two boys, "I think these guys would rather play superheroes."

"Look out, here comes Batman!" exclaimed Burt, jogging towards Chris and Manny,

"GRAAAAND-PA, you _can't_ be Batman," Manny sighed, "he's from DC Comics. We're playing _Marvel."_

"Well, I stand corrected," chuckled Burt.

"How about...you can be Spiderman?" suggested Chris, "and Daddy is Wolverine, and Uncle Blaine is Captain America...and together, we are...THE AVENGERS!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHH!" cried Manny, running at full speed in circles around the yard.

"Wow, there is a lot of testosterone out here," commented Blaine.

"Yeah, and you'd better get your super-shield up, Captain America," Finn snickered, "cause your son is headed straight for your 'nads."

Blaine looked up with alarm to see Manny charging towards him and caught him just in time.

"Ha, Uncle Blaine, that almost could have been on America's Funniest Videos!" cried Chris.

"Yeah, Chris," Blaine laughed, "I'm kind of glad it didn't work out that way."

The Avengers proceeded to save the Earth from peril and imminent disaster for an hour or two before they were called in to get cleaned up for dinner.

Before long, the entire Hummel-Hudson-Anderson clan was seated around the dining room table, eyeing up a spread of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, cornbread, and yams smothered with marshmallows.

"Well," said Carol cheerfully, "before we all dig in, I just wanted to say how wonderful it is to have all of us together, and I'm so thankful for each and every one of you."

"Thank you, Carol," smiled Rachel, "and I think that Chris would like to say a prayer before we eat. Right, buddy?"

Chris nodded confidently. He folded his hands and bowed his head as everyone else did the same. He took a deep breath.

"Dear God," he began, "I just want to say thank you, for all my toys, especially my Legos, and for helping me to stay in my spot during circle time at school, except for when I get a little bored. Thank you, God, for Manny, who is my cousin, but also my best friend, even though Joey Stevens says that he can't be both at the same time. Thank you for my family, and for books, and for the sky, the sun, tater tots, the moon, the pilgrims, and Roger, my neighbor's dog, and for the whole world. And we are all thankful for each other, because we love each other, even though we are all different and sometimes we might get mad when someone takes our stuff. And we hope that everybody is lucky like we are. Amen."

"Amen," they all said in unison as they began passing the dishes around the table. No one could really follow that. Finn and Rachel each gazed around the room at their loving family before their eyes met in a knowing smile. Lucky, indeed.


	19. Chapter 19

"Four Nights of Hannukah"

**First Night of Hannukah**

"Christopher Finnegan Hudson, would you _please_ try to calm your body down?" pleaded Rachel as she watched her son run frantic laps around their small apartment.

"It's all the _gelt_,_" _whispered Finn, "your dads kept letting him win at dreidel. He must have eaten about a dozen chocolate coins."

"Daddy? Papa? How many chocolate coins did Chris have?" asked Rachel, turning to her fathers.

"Oh, who knows, honey?" laughed Leroy, "grandparents don't keep track of that sort of thing. Plus, it's the holidays. Lighten up, Mommy!"

Rachel and Finn shook their heads at one another as Leroy and Hiram played with Faith, oblivious to the fact that their grandson was now spinning wildly in circles shouting, "I'm a dreidel, I'm a dreidel!"

Rachel suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Hey, Chris," she said brightly, "why don't you give Pop-Pop and Grandpa their gifts?"

Chris's face lit up with excitement. He _loved_ giving people presents, especially ones he helped to make. He bolted into his room and reappeared with two narrow boxes. He proudly handed one to each of his grandfathers.

"Oh, my, Christopher, this _is_ exciting!" said Hiram as he tore off the blue wrapping paper.

He opened the box to reveal a black tie that was printed in white with a child's drawing of two figures, one slightly bigger than the other, the taller one wearing glasses. Under the drawing, the words, "Grandpa and Chris" were printed carefully. Hiram's mouth hung open in awe.

"_I made it!" _Chris exclaimed, bursting with joy, "I drew the picture and Mommy had it made into a tie for you!"

"Chris, this is _wonderful,"_ marveled Hiram, holding up his tie, "this is the _best _gift anyone has ever given me."

"Open yours, Pop-Pop!" Chris cried, jumping up and down.

"I certainly will!" grinned Leroy, lifting the lid of the box. He also pulled out a tie, this one dark green with a similar drawing printed on it, except the figures were standing in a boat wearing hats. Under the drawing were the words, "My Favorite Day."

Leroy was speechless as he held up the tie.

"It's a picture of my best day ever. The day you took me fishing at the lake in Ohio," Chris beamed.

Leroy dabbed at his eyes and hugged his grandson mirthfully.

"Chris," said Leroy, shaking his head, "you are the _best_ grandson in the world. Do you know that?"

"Well," Chris began thoughtfully, "Mom and Dad tell me I'm the best _son,_ so I guess that makes sense."

Hiram and Leroy burst out laughing as Chris giggled along, pleased with himself to have said something so entertaining.

Finn and Rachel smiled at each other sweetly, so proud of their boy. It was moments like this when they knew they must be doing something right.

**Third Night of Hannukah**

"Chris in bed?" Finn asked hopefully as he closed the door to their bedroom where Faith was sleeping.

"Yup," said Rachel brightly, "his holiday party at school really wore him out this afternoon."

"Good," laughed Finn, "they should have one every day. Faith's down for the count."

"Yay!" squealed Rachel, clapping her hands, "it's my night to give you your present!"

"I hope you didn't go crazy, babe," said Finn, sitting down on the couch, "you've got your hands full here, I don't know how you found the time to go shopping."

"Well, I had to get you something special, Finn," smiled Rachel, sitting beside him, "it's one of the few times a year where we get to spend a little time and money on each other. I hope you like it."

She handed him a small box wrapped in gold paper. He opened it to find a beautiful silver watch, just the kind he would choose for himself.

"I know it's not that fancy," apologized Rachel, "but I thought it was perfect."

"It is, Rachel," he said, leaning over to kiss her, "I love it. Thank you, baby."

"Turn it over," she smiled shyly.

Finn unclasped the watch and turned it over in his palm, reading the words carefully engraved on the back.

"_Time may pass, but our love never will. Forever yours, Rachel."_

Finn placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly.

"I love you, Rachel," he whispered, stroking her hair gently, "_so _much."

She snuggled into his arms contentedly. She was so grateful to him for the beautiful life they had built together, and nothing made her happier than the chance to make him feel special.

**The Fifth Night of Hannukah**

"Okay, Chris!" said Rachel as she began to clear the dishes from the dinner table, "tonight you get your big gift!"

"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chris shouted, jumping up from the table.

Faith, covered in pureed squash, giggled in her high chair at the sight of her brother flailing about.

"Buddy, why don't you go get your pajamas on while Mommy and me finish cleaning up, okay?" suggested Finn.

"Okay! Okay!" he cried, running off to his room.

"I cannot wait to see his face," whispered Rachel excitedly, "I'll finish here, you go get it."

After a few moments, Chris flew out of his bedroom in his Star Wars pajamas and Chewbacca slippers, raring to go.

"Okay, Chris," began Finn, "here you go, buddy!"

Chris could barely stay seated on the couch as Finn handed him the large wrapped package. Rachel stood next to Finn, holding Faith and grinning with giddiness.

They watched his face as he tore the paper and realized what was underneath. He looked at the box and then looked up at his parents and sister with eyes the size of dinner plates. He was speechless for a moment, and then...

"THE LEGO MILLENIUM FALCON! THE LEGO MILLENIUM FALCON! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" he screeched at the top of his lungs. He leaped on top of the couch and jumped up and down with glee.

"Whoa, easy, buddy!" laughed Finn, trying to coax his son to sit down.

Suddenly, Chris lost his balance and fell off the couch with his new toy, bumping his arm hard on the coffee table on the way down.

"Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmy!" Chris screamed, his cries of joy quickly turning to panic as he clutched his arm.

Finn and Rachel exchanged looks of great concern and rushed over to examine his arm.

"OWWWW!" Chris howled as Finn lightly touched his arm.

"It's okay, baby," Rachel comforted him, "but I think we need to get you to the emergency room to get you checked out, okay?"

"Uh-huh," Chris nodded, sniffling, "but I need my Yoda. He needs to be with me!"

"No problem, buddy," Finn assured him, running to Chris's room to retrieve the stuffed toy.

After a tearful ride to the hospital and a two-hour wait that was only made tolerable by Faith staying asleep in Finn's arms and Chris being occupied by playing one-armed Angry Birds on Rachel's phone, Chris was finally examined by the doctor.

"So, Christopher, you got a little bit too excited about your new toy, huh?" the doctor joked.

"It's a really cool toy," reasoned Chris, clutching his arm.

"Well, I think we'd better get some X-rays just to make sure nothing is broken," smiled the doctor, "and while we're at it, do you want me to check your Midi-chlorian count to see if you're a Jedi?"

"Yeah!" cried Chris, appreciating the Star Wars reference.

Finn and Rachel laughed as Rachel mussed Chris's hair. After the X-rays were taken, they all waited back in the ER for the results. They stood up as they noticed the doctor walking toward them.

"Well, I've got two pieces of good news, guys," grinned the doctor, "One, it looks like the wrist is just bruised. Two, your Midi-chlorian count is off the charts, Chris. Congratulations, you have a bright future as a Jedi."

Finn and Chris burst out into the giggles as Rachel thanked the doctor and received treatment instructions. Their laughter was suddenly interrupted by the loud sobs of a child nearby. The Hudsons all turned around to see a young boy, a few years younger than Chris, crying into his mom's shoulder. He seemed to be gasping for air as his worn-looking mother stroked his hair. Curious and concerned, Chris walked up to the boy and his mother.

"Is he okay?" Chris asked quietly.

"He will be, sweetie," answered the boy's mother kindly, "he gets bad asthma attacks, and sometimes it's hard for him to breathe. The doctors will help him. It's just kind of scary for him."

"Does he like Star Wars?" Chris inquired shyly, pointing at the boy's Han Solo T-shirt.

"It's his favorite," his mom replied with a tired smile.

"He can have this," said Chris, holding out his stuffed Yoda. Finn and Rachel looked at each other in surprise.

"Oh my, are you sure?" asked the boy's mother.

"I'm sure," Chris replied.

The little boy happily took Yoda and hugged him to his chest.

"Thank you, sweetie," his mother said gratefully.

"You're welcome!" cried Chris, running back over to his mom and dad, who caught him with open arms.

"Chris," Rachel began, dabbing at her eyes, "_that_ was _so_ nice of you. What a hero you are!"

"We're so proud of you, Chris," smiled Finn, squeezing his son's shoulder.

Chris nodded his head with a stoic expression, placing his hands on his hips.

"It's what a Jedi would do," he said seriously.

"Yes it is," laughed Rachel, grinning at Finn, "yes it is."

**Eighth Night of Hannukah**

"Hey, everybody!" called Finn as he entered the apartment, clutching a large, greasy paper bag, "Come sit down, Daddy's got special potato latkes!"

Chris walked over to the table curiously as Finn began to empty the contents of the bag onto the plates that Rachel had set out onto the table. Rachel got up from the floor where she had been playing with Faith.

"Um, Finn, what are you doing?" Rachel asked, confused, "I made homemade macaroni and cheese, it's in the oven..._um, are those hash browns from McDonald's?"_

"Well, yeah," Finn admitted sheepishly, "it took quite a bit of begging to get them to make them for me at this time of day. They're real sticklers about the whole no-breakfast-after-11:30 am rule."

Rachel was not so sure about this, but she reluctantly sat down at the table, placing Faith on her lap. Everyone dug into the warm "latkes" Finn had dished out.

"Mmmmmmm!" exclaimed Chris loudly, "these are _so yummy!_ These are so much better than the ones you make, Mommy!"

"Oh, really?" asked Rachel, raising an eyebrow in mock annoyance before turning to Finn, "he's right, isn't he?"

Finn and Chris looked at each other and began giggling.

"Rach, you're an _awesome _cook," Finn began, "and I know your latkes are, like, super healthy and all, but sometimes us guys just need our greasy, nasty, fried potatoes, you know?"

"Sure, sure," said Rachel, rolling her eyes with a smile, "I get it."

The Hudsons gobbled up their hash browns and macaroni and cheese and began their usual evening routine. Before bed, Finn and Rachel gave the kids their last gifts of Hannukah. Before long, Chris and Faith were happily settled into bed, Chris with his new set of Batman Legos sitting on his nightstand for tomorrow's play, Faith with her new musical teddy bear tucked into the corner of her crib.

"Hey, babe," said Finn softly, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder, "you're not made about the latkes, are you?

"Nah," laughed Rachel, "those greasy hash browns were pretty darn good, I have to say."

"Well, you know what time it is, now, don't you?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Well, it's the last night of Hannukah," she smiled, "I guess it's time for my present."

"Hmm, that depends," he mused, taking Rachel in his arms, "have you been a good girl this year?"

"I think so," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Okay, then you wait here and close your eyes while I go get your present from Mr. Henry's van.

"_Excuse me?_" she asked, puzzled.

"I had no place else to keep your present," he shrugged, "just wait here, and no peeking when you hear me come in."

After a few moments, Finn returned to the apartment and took a moment to set up Rachel's gift.

"Okay, babe," he said excitedly, "you can look now!"

Rachel's jaw dropped as she saw her present sitting in the middle of the living room floor. She covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes filled with tears.

"So I guess you know where these came from?" Finn grinned widely.

"Of course I do!" Rachel sobbed, "they're our chairs from the choir room!"

"Look at the backs," Finn whispered.

Weeping, Rachel walked around to the other side of the chairs to find that each one had a gold plate with an inscription.

"_Finn Hudson loves Rachel Berry," _read the first.

"_Rachel Berry loves Finn Hudson," _read the second.

"Finn, I-" Rachel tried to thank him, "I-"

She finally gave up on words and threw herself into Finn's arms, pulled his face to hers, and kissed him hard.

"All these years, I'm still the only guy who can actually leave you speechless," Finn laughed, gently rubbing her back, "I love you, baby. I just wanted to give you something to remind you of where it all began."

"Still no words, Finn," Rachel shook her head, "still no words."

She took her husband's hand as they sat down in the chairs they had sat in so long ago when their love had first began to grow. Her head snuggled into his shoulder, their intertwined hands resting on her knee, they sat in peaceful silence, reflecting on the story of their love.


End file.
